Return to Paradise [Post-Apocalypse RP; IC]

[Skegness-on-Pirn]

Return to Paradise


Link to OOC

Earth - The Homeworld lost, devastated by war and human-made plagues, now orbits its sun devoid of human life. The Second Great War, known by different names in each nation, devastated the landscape. Machines built by men in one corner of Earth flew to destroy men in another corner of Earth; This went on for fourteen years. After those fourteen years, the scars in the ground were vast, and the human losses were catastrophic. The world for so many had ended, but for others, life went on. Much of the Earth's agriculture had ground to a halt, heeding the brutal efficiency of war-devices employed by nations and private armies alike. Along with agriculture fell much of industry, as factories were repurposed for the war-effort. Nations ceased to exist, and factions of survivors rose up across the planet to fight each other further, the ever-human lust for power strong within their leadership.

Although the light had faded for the humans of Earth, hope was not lost.

As war raged on for fourteen years, a faction, composed of the most brilliant minds on Earth, came together to find a solution for their troubles. As the situation grew more and more bleak for the planet, these individuals decided to do something previously considered impossible. Using carte-blanche capital, the faction scientists developed a space programme that would be the envy of any of its predecessors. The goal of the programme - to preserve the lives of humans for the post-war future. Twelve years into the war, the goals set by the agency had been completed, and a single spacecraft was prepared for launch. Gathering onto the spacecraft three-hundred people, evenly-proportioned with regards to gender, ethnic background, and origins, the scientists prepared for the flight. As the most violent conflict of the Second Great War began, so too did the odyssey of the three-hundred men, women, and children aboard the spacecraft - The Starseeker.

Seven hundred years after the voyage of the Starseeker, in the Earth year 2717, life is thriving. The original three-hundred passengers, not including the fifty crew members, had increased to four-hundred and seventy. With regulations and guidelines dictating the ability for the passengers to reproduce, the population had never once exceeded the Starseeker's capacity of six-hundred. In this year, 2717, the Starseeker will pass the closest to Earth as it has in five-hundred years. What has changed between the last time the Starseeker passed Earth and the current time, is that bio-sensors deployed to Earth have come back with positive news - Mankind can now safely return to Earth to rebuild.

---

6th June, 2717
Starseeker Assembly Hall
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Captain Nicholas Cooper looked out the thick windows of the Starseeker Assembly Hall, relishing in the silence. The windows each consisted of three different panes with different thicknesses, chemical compositions and coatings. The exact specifications were mind-boggling to the Captain, as he had no real role in the repairs aboard the starship. His job consisted of flying the large craft, and little else. His father had held the position, and his father before him, and then even further back through the generations. The assembly hall was completely empty, as the preparations had already ceased. In the centre of the great hall was a long table, at the head of which was a presentation board. Stuck to the fourteen foot by seven foot board were several images taken by biosensors sent to Earth. Alongside these images were schematics of various items, including the communication devices the expedition would have with them, their vehicle, and the landing ship they would take to the surface. Captain Cooper looked away from the window, the sight of space utterly unimpressive to the man born and raised in a spacecraft. He wished he could see Earth, but the hall was on the opposite flank of the Starseeker.

As Captain Cooper made his way to look over the presentation board once more, he heard the door at the end of the hall open. Whomever it was who entered was rather silent, obviously not wanting to interrupt the Captain. Captain Cooper turned to look who it was, smiling as he realised it was his bridge mechanic, Jesus Da Silva.
"Jesus, I'm glad you're here," said the Captain. "Did the repairs on the broadcast system go according to plan, or will I need to call the Chief Mechanic?"
Jesus returned the Captain's smile, standing at attention out of respect for the Captain. Although Jesus was many years Cooper's elder, the mechanic still gave the Captain the respect he deserved. This did not mean that Jesus referred to him as Captain Cooper, though. "Yeah, no worries Hopper. Everything worked out well." The mechanic used the name Hopper as a cheeky way to remind Cooper of his Australian heritage; the nickname stuck very well due to its similarity to his true last name, Cooper. "You ready for me to send out the message to the living areas?"
Cooper didn't reply with words, simply nodding. He had other things to do as he turned back around to look at the presentation board once again. He had to make sure that his presentation would be perfect in every way. He wanted the exploration team to be as prepared as possible from the Starseeker's side. As the Captain reviewed his information, Jesus went off to send out a message to those individuals selected for the exploration team. His voiced boomed over the announcement system in the living areas of the Starseeker:

Attention to those selected for participation in the exploration of Earth. Please report to the Assembly Hall as soon as possible. Your Captain awaits you all there, so be ready for your briefing.

---

6th June, 2717
Central Park, Starseeker Living Sector
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Samantha Blake was sat on the rock wall surrounding the great fountain in central park. The landmark would've been much more remarkable if she considered how amazing it was to have such a thing on a spacecraft, but she grew up with the park just a short walk from her family quarters. She turned to look at her close childhood friend Anna Lockhart, who hadn't been selected to go to Earth. Anna was clearly upset that she was to stay behind as Sam went down to Earth's surface. Since they were both children, the duo had been inseparable. They did everything, including gymnastics, as a two-person team. When the announcement from Jesus Da Silva came over the announcement system, Anna looked back at Sam. A tear was visibly trying to escape Anna's eye, which made Sam pout.
"Hey," said Sam to Anna, a comforting tone in her voice. "Everything out there is going to go great. I'll tell you all about it when I get back!" Sam took Anna into an embrace then, holding her friend tightly for several moments. Anna was obviously crying.
"Sam, you'd do well to come back to me. Without you here I have nobody to blame for the trouble I get into." She laughed at that, despite her tears, which Sam gladly echoed. "I want to give you something." Anna began to fumble at the back of her neck, trying to take off her necklace without ruining her hair. Eventually, she got it off and handed it to Sam. "You need to take this with you. It'll give you luck." She smiled as she placed the necklace in Sam's hand.
After one last embrace, Sam got up to go to the Assembly Hall, already dressed in her most comfortable hiking clothing, with several replacement outfits in a manageable bag.

When Sam got to the Assembly Hall, she was surprised to see Captain Cooper there. He was a very handsome young man, only ten years older than Sam. She'd met him a few times, so she knew that he was a very friendly person. She was surprised, however, that he was to be the one giving the briefing. Containing her blushing at the sight of Captain Cooper's smile, Sam walked over to him.
"Captain, it's nice to see you again. I didn't think you'd be the one giving the briefing today." She smiled at him and shook his hand, simultaneously placing her bag down next to a seat in the seating area.
Captain Cooper returned Sam Blake's smile, glad to have such a natural adventurer along for the expedition. He was also glad to know that her father would be along for the expedition as well, as Captain Cooper trusted Chief Blake implicitly. "Yeah, of course I'm giving the briefing. I wouldn't have it any other way." He turned and gestured to the presentation board. "I just hope I've done enough to prepare you lot for the trip you're about to take. It'll be a tough one."
Sam grinned at the Captain's slight worries. "I'm sure it'll be a great presentation, Hopper. I'm confident in you."

[Cheveksim]

6th June, 2717
Hansen Family Home, Starseeker Living Sector
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Skylar Adams turned the knob to start anew the flow of water into the kitchen sink of the Hansen family home. The only resident, an elderly woman, sat at the table nearby, sipping tea. Skylar stood up from her work, glad to have been able to fix the elderly woman's kitchen sink. It would have been very bad if poor Mrs. Hansen had lost the use of the essential item. Skylar hadn't broken a sweat, as the repair was a simple ten-minute fix. There was merely a leak underneath the sink, inside the cupboard. She walked over to Mrs. Hansen, a big smile on both of their faces. Mrs. Hansen gestured for Skylar to sit at the table, and Skylar happily obliged, then accepting the cup of tea Mrs. Hansen handed to her. Mrs. Hansen spoke then in a sweet, grandmotherly voice, "Skylar, you are such a darling. I'm so glad to have you next door, because it seems that things break pretty often in here." Mrs. Hansen laughed a bit at that, and so did Skylar. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. Hansen. I'm happy to help whenever you need, but don't forget I'll be gone for a while. I'm going along with that group headed to the Earth's surface." The eyes of the elderly woman lit up upon hearing Skylar's announcement. "Oh my, you're going along with them? Oh, do be careful, please. I can't even imagine what might be down there." Skylar grinned, placing a comforting hand on Mrs. Hansen's shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Mrs. Hansen, I'll be alright." She flashed a cheeky smile at the lady. "I'm always alright."

After Skylar left Mrs. Hansen's house, she started towards home. She had her bag for the expedition along with her just in case she needed to go to the briefing whilst she was out and about. It wasn't long after she left Mrs. Hansen's that the announcement came loudly over the system. Skylar stopped walking until the announcement was finished, then sighed. She forced a smile onto her face, but deep down she was extremely nervous. She did her best to suppress this nervousness as she made her way to the assembly hall, which was a decent walk. When she got there, she saw that somebody had already arrived. Naturally, she recognized the Captain, who was easily more of an older brother figure in Skylar's life. The other person in the room was Samantha Blake, with whom Skylar never had many meaningful interactions. Skylar did know that Samantha was a top-class athlete, though, which she figured would come in handy should anything go wrong on the surface. Skylar walked over to Captain Cooper, a wide smile on her face. She didn't wait for the Captain to initiate conversation, hugging him. As expected, Hopper hugged back. "Hey Skylar, glad to see you. I'll be doing my best to brief you all today. Hopefully I don't mess it up." Skylar laughed, punching him on the shoulder playfully. "I'm sure you'll do fine." She went to sit, taking the seat next to Samantha, smiling at the girl and saying, "Hello." She figured that Samantha knew who she was, so she started to look through her bag to make absolutely sure she'd brought everything she needed.

[Aden Protectorate]

Harold Hornblower
6th June, 2717
Hornblower Living Quarters
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Harold had just finished packing when he heard Jesus Da Silva's voice booming over the announcer. At this point he wore the white suite of the medical staff, he felt he would have to change this once they landed, but for now he did not mind. In his suite case was a few other outfits, and a notebook. Being isolated in space for seven-hundred years the Starseeker's had only the diseases they brought with them, there where bound to be a full plethora of unknown conditions down on the planet, and he wanted to note down every one of them.

There was another notebook, in which he had carefully arranged, sketched out, and detailed every procedure he had ever done or read about, he felt it would be handy. He had been allowed another small bag in which he carried is doctor's equipment, medical tools such as syringes, medical scissors, knives, morphine, painkillers and a few other random things he would need, such as sterilization liquid and hydrogen peroxide. He walked out of his bedroom and his whole family had assembled outside his door to greet him, he gave each one of them a long and sentimental hug.

He would miss them all, but probably his elder sister Sarah the most. Sarah was twenty-two to his seventeen. She had always protected him from the tricks of his older brothers, one more than one occasion she had redirected her mother's scornful temper away from him, most of the time he was either framed by Kenneth his twin brother or the one time they stripped him of his clothes when he was fifteen, and locked him outside their living space, it had been Sarah would had fought her way through their brothers and let him back in.

He hugged her the longest, and in her ear he whispered.

"I will miss you most."

She smiled and whispered back, their voices inaudible to their family around them.

"I know Harry."

He hated it when most people called him that, but for Sarah he didn't mind. Wiping a small tear out of his left eye he moved onto Kenneth, his twin brother who liked like him in almost every way. Instead of hugging they did a secret handshake they hadn't used in years, one they had invented when they were nine. He then hugged Sam, Peter, Colin and finally his mother then his father. Then without a word he departed the Hornblower Living Quarters.

He moved without a sound through the "streets" of the Starseeker. People would say 'hi' to him as he passed, or stop him for a chat, as they all knew where he was headed. It had been a big deal, a seventeen-year-old had been handpicked and requested by the Captain to join the expedition of the century, naturally people talked. Some thought it might have to do with the fact that father Hornblower was the Captain's personal secretary, some thought Mr. Hornblower had out in a good word for his son. Others just thought he had gotten in by his medical brilliance, which was renowned.

To every one of those passerby he acted polite, sociable, and friendly. Every minute of that killed him, he was an introvert by nature, but in this world you needed to be an extrovert to get anything done, so he had adopted what he called his "mask" in social situations. It allowed him to function in this inherently social world without breaking. He couldn't really describe how it worked, you had to have a mask to understand it.

He entered the Assembly Hall and saw that very few others had arrived yet. He could see Captain Cooper chatting to two girls, Samantha and Skylar he thought, along with Skylar's father, Ronan Blaker. That was very much like Cooper, from what he had heard from his father the Captain was a bit of charmer. Nonetheless he did not mind the Captain. He walked over.

"Good day Captain Cooper, Samantha, Skylar, Ronan."

He turned to each one of them as he said their name. He was painfully aware at how hoarse and raspy his voice was. When he was young he had barely talked, ever, as such his vocal cords had become inactive, and by the time he was ten his voice had the quality of grinding gravel. This was only worsened by the onset of puberty. He let out an internal sigh, he knew very well that the vocal cords were one of the most sensitive parts of the body, damage on them was almost irreversible.

[Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg]

6th June, 2717
Security Headquarters, Starseeker Administrative Sector
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Security Chief Ronan Blake sat at his desk, which was an antique piece of furniture brought aboard the Starseeker by the original voyagers, although it was originally crafted in the nineteenth century, making it the oldest piece of furniture aboard the ship. Ronan felt a unique sense of pride sitting behind a desk with such beauty and history. It was unfortunate, though, that so few people knew about the desk. Very few people aboard the Starseeker were educated about the world of Earth, due to the painful state that the Earth was in at the time the Starseeker set out on its journey. In front of Chief Blake was a stack of paperwork he needed to finish filling out in order to authorize the mission to Earth fully. Although he was the highest security officer aboard the ship, he still chose to participate in the expedition. His choice to take part in the exploration of Earth was not out of curiosity, but rather out of his protective nature. He needed to protect his daughter, Samantha, lest she be injured or killed on the surface. As he thought about what it might be like on the surface, he came to the page in the paperwork outlining the risks that they may face on the ground. The list of risks were just natural risks faced by the people of Earth before the Second Great War. Ronan didn't pay it much attention, since he figured that things had changed on Earth in the seven-hundred years since humans left Earth. He did wonder, however, whether there were still pockets of humans on the planet. Although the biosensors hadn't returned any information about human life, Ronan still felt it was possible.

Finally finished with his paperwork, Ronan gathered the stack of documents and slid it into a folder without a label. He didn't need to place a label on the folder, as the documents within weren't for any eyes but his own. He left his office then, approaching his secretary. The young woman was beautiful, but that was not why Ronan selected her to work for him. He chose her for her raw intelligence, which impressed even the stoic Ronan Blake. He held out the folder of documents to the woman, who took it, looking up at her boss. "Sarah," Chief Blake said in a stern tone, "I need you to file this away under the letter A, in the very first space in the special files. It is important that if, for some reason, we fall under some sort of attack whilst on Earth, you will need to retrieve the guidelines from this folder. Perhaps before you file it away, you should familiarize yourself with the contents." Sarah didn't say anything to Ronan, knowing that her words would have no effect on the man. He was like a marble statue; handsome and still. When Sarah nodded to him that she would abide by his instructions, Ronan left the administrative suite and headed out for the Assembly Hall. It was on his walk there that he heard the announcement sent out by Jesus Da Silva.

When Ronan arrived at the assembly hall, he noticed that his daughter was already inside, seated in the briefing audience seats. Chief Blake wore his Starseeker security uniform, his authority summed up by the rank insignia on the sleeves. He immediately made his way over to Captain Cooper, whom Ronan respected, but did not feel was old enough to hold the rank he did. He saluted Captain Cooper, as was the custom, then turned to his daughter. Before greeting Samantha, he looked at the girl seated next to her. Giving the girl a rather unenthusiastic nod, he turned back to Samantha. "I expect you have prepared in accordance with the lists I gave you." Not waiting for her response, Chief Blake went back to the Captain, standing next to him. "As you must have expected, I will stand up here with you for the briefing. I have done all required research." He looked briefly at the Captain, then towards the door of the hall. He noticed that Harold Hornblower had entered, which despite Chief Blake's lack of visible emotion, delighted the disciplined man. Hornblower was a brilliant medical mind, even at his young age. Chief Blake had personally requested that Hornblower be added to the roster, as a result of the combination of Hornblower's mind and his youth. Ronan figured that Harold would be better fit in the surface environment than most of the other doctors, who were all past middle-age.

[BettaMin]

6th June, 2717
Yojimbo Household, Starseeker Living Sector
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Yojimbo Ishiro fiddled nervously with a bit of machinery as he waited for the announcement. What little he had packed -and it was indeed little, limited to the bare essentials along with a bit of odds and ends he had packed into a rather childish looking lunchbox his mother had given him - was haphazardly stowed into his pack, and his eyes drifted around his room as he fiddled with the gizmo, looking for a glint of metal or dull sheen of an old leather bound book that might remind him that he had forgotten something essential. He did not. He continued to fiddle with what remained of the gizmo, which was once a communicator, absentmindedly tapping his foot as he awaited the announcement.

He wasn't usually the nervous sort. As a matter of fact, he never felt nervous about anything outside of his domestic life, where only the reactions of his parents to his latest mishap was almost always a major concern as it seemed wherever he walked mishaps followed. But, given that he spent most of his time outside, he was unused to such stress. This was the first time in his life he had felt nervous about everything, and he pondered the fact. Perhaps it was because this time, he never knew if, or when, he would receive his next scolding. The scolding was essentially guaranteed if he spent a over an hour near his father, and probable still when he was far away, in a distant sector of the ship, but being a world away made the scolding rather difficult. He never expected to ever want a scolding, nor to see the amusing look of dissatisfaction that crossed his fathers face whenever Ishiro came home bruised and bloodied after spending his day at the gym instead of at school, but at this moment he wished he could ask for one for the road, just to remember his father by.

His mother was an entirely different story. She opened the door just as Ishiro put down the gizmo, walking straight through like the boisterous woman she was, tossing herself back into a chair to stare sternly at him. She observed him like one of her experiments, noticing how he tapped his foot and gazed around the room, his eyes down, avoiding hers. She was dressed in her pilots uniform, but her chemists goggles hung around her neck.

"Its not a bad thing to be nervous, Yojo," she said, as if reading his mind, referring to him by his childhood nickname. "Everyone gets nervous. I get nervous. I mean, you have to. Its like a requirement for something you care about to worry about it. if you don't, you don't really care."

She went on with sentimental stories about herself and her father, and about how his father asked her out, which led to him finally laughing out loud at his father ridiculous antics in attempts to impress her, almost all which ended in him looking foolish, and in more than one case injured in a ridiculous fashion.

"A laughs a reaction enough for me. I'm sure I've fulfilled my duties as a mother now, so now I can go do me stuff," she said, with a laugh. "Get up. Stand up straight. Look, we're like brother and sister now."

She was right. She was a tall woman, at six feet, but he was just taller, at six feet three inches. Her pilots uniform was emblazoned with the name Yojimbo Sakura, while his with Yojimbo Ishiro. She looked young for thirty nine, and he looked just a bit older than 23. They did indeed look like brother and sister.

The intercom rang out. It was time to go. Ishiro shouldered his bag, hugged his mother, and they whispered a few heartfelt goodbyes to each other. As he walked out into the living room, his father stood up from his chair, where just seconds ago he had sat, entirely absorbed into his work. He was a short man in comparison to his wife and son, at five feet and nine inches, with a handsome face marred with the squint lines and wrinkled forehead of a diligent worker. He always wore a suit, but this time it was evident he had stayed up long through the night, his suit the same from yesterday, and in total disarray.

"Son," he said, looking Ishiro up and down, his eyebrows furrowed as if looking for a flaw to correct. Unexpectedly his face relaxed, and without a word, he came forward to give his son a hug, which Ishiro returned gratefully. They said no goodbyes, just looking at each other with a sense of pride and understanding passing between them. His father pressed into his hand a small leather bound notebook, then stood back and joined with his wife to wave Ishiro off, standing just behind him as he walked off to the Assembly Hall, and into a distant world.

Ishiro hurried off into the hidden 'streets' of the Starseeker, or what was the gaps in between support structures which he and his friends used to rapidly move from place to place. He was joined by a contingent of friends, who silently served as an escort as he leaped and bounded towards the Assembly Hall. There, at the doors, they exchanged their goodbyes and pressed him with wrapped gifts which they felt would be essentials, which Ishiro struggled to cram into his bag.

He bounded into the Assembly Hall, laughing as his friends pushed and shoved each other to be the one to "walk him down the isle", without any of them succeeding. He immediately recognized Captain Hooper and Samantha Blake, but failed to place a name on the others. He had seen them before, but failed to interact with them as they weren't really his crowd. "Captain Hooper!" he said, with an air of excitement. "It's good to see you." Since his mother was a pilot, he knew Captain Hooper as an acquaintance, not close enough to call himself a friend or anything in between, but very familiar with his role and position. Samantha he had seen at the gym, and figured she knew him, so immediately nodded a smiling greeting to her before moving to the back row of the seats, figuring that he would be able to meet the other two soon.

[Vredlandia]

6th June, 2717
Clarway house, Starseeker Living Sector
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

What a dreadful day! Victor had planned to go the library and return his book, but his cousins hid it and now he had nothing to return to the library. Surely he could tell his mother and make himself feel pityful, or alternatively his uncle, who would make him feel ridiculously weak. No, Victor decided he would wait until they either get bored of hiding it or he finds it himself. His mood was ruined anyways, so there was no chance he would search for a single and rather unimportant book now. Sighing he jumped onto his bed and lied down. He was about to close his eyes and try to sleep when suddenly a message could be heard from the announcement system outside. Had the time finally come? Oh yes, it had.

Smilingly he jumped up again and checked whether his hair was alright. Usually it was and checking therefore unnecessary, but he needed that time to think about whether he had forgotten something or not. In this case, he did forget something. Quietly cursing he rushed to his desk and got a letter, which was meant to explain everything to his mother, out of the drawer. "Now what else not to miss..", he muttered and walked from one corner to another, until he had gathered everything he thought to be helpful or necessary. The last thing to be put into his bag was the picture of his mother. By God, as much as she annoyed him, he would miss her. He already felt sorry now!

After all, his mother was always there for him. No matter how hard or dire the situation was, she never spoke out against him. Nevertheless he did not want to be her baby boy forever and staying with her and the family would have forced him into a live he could not have lived. He was no worker, no engineer. And certainly not a scientist or security officer.

As Victor opened the door, she stood in the kitchen and prepared something to eat. "What is it, my dear? Have you decided to return to land of the wide-awake? If you are already here, Viccy, could you please catch me that bottle over there?", she asked in a friendly voice and pointed to a bottle. "Uh, I only.. eh.. wanted to return the book. I ought to hurry! Don't want the library to close before I get there, right?", he continued stuttering. "And mom, love you", Victor added and was about to leave, when his mother answered him. "I love you, too, my dearest son. Always remember that, will you?", she demanded and closed the door herself. Only few seconds later she leaned on the door, crying. "As if I never saw that stupid letter while cleaning your damn room... Come back home safe", she spoke to a framed portrait of Victor and slowly returned to the kitchen.

Soon after the aunt of Victor entered the room to cheer her up, but she was shocked as well when she heard of it. His uncles arrived minutes later, but did not seem shocked at all. Instead, he muttered that the boy will hopefully not prove to be an obstacle to the crew and that his cousins should have applied instead. "A disgrace", he concluded and turnt to the news again.

Victor himself ran to the Assembly Hall - and you wouldn't see him run often. Finally he was an independent man, living the life he wanted. He leaped down a small group of stairs only to find himself in front of many more stairs to run down, followed by some hallways. Smilingly he then arrived at the Assembly Hall and ran to the Captain and the others. However, he ran that much, he did not have the breath to speak anymore. And as that felt quite embarrassing to him, he started to blush and smiled rather stupidly. After some seconds more he uttered his greetings: "Hello everybody, I hope I am not too late!" .. What an awkward greeting to begin with.

[Skegness-on-Pirn]

Sam knew better than to reply to her father, so she just sat there waiting for the briefing to start. She looked around the room, which looked less like the assembly hall she was used to, and more like a military staging room from the movies she watched on occasion. In her mind were thoughts of Anna, her best and dearest friend, whom Sam wished could come along for the expedition. As she waited, she figured she'd have a chat to Skylar, the girl sat next to her. She turned her head to casually look at the girl, whom she recognised from various places.
"Hey, I'm Samantha Blake. I've seen you around, but I don't think we've ever met." She smiled at Skylar, hoping to show that she was friendly. As she tried to make conversation with Skylar, Sam heard the door open again, turning to see who it was. As her best friend Anna Lockhart walked through the door to the assembly hall, bag in hand, Sam's heart wasn't sure what to do. She quickly stood up and ran over to Anna, first hugging her tightly, but then looking her directly in the eyes with a serious stare. "Anna, what are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you, but this is going to be a really dangerous mission!" Sam was extremely nervous for her own life, but if Anna got involved, it would double Sam's worries.
"Sam, please. Don't worry so much, we're both going to be fine. As soon as you left to come here, I went back to my house and gathered some things together." Anna looked over at Sam's father, who looked quite imposing in his security uniform. "I need to talk to your Dad, and pretty soon. Would you help me convince him this is a good idea?"
Sam didn't reply right away, instead taking several moments to think things through. She would certainly feel more comfortable on the surface if she had her dear friend with her, but on the other hand, it would mean both of them were at risk. Finally, Sam decided she'd help Anna convince Sam's father to let Anna join them. Taking Anna by the hand, Sam dragged her over towards Security Chief Ronan Blake. Sam cleared her throat, then said in a stern, military voice, "Father, I need you to allow Anna Lockhart to accompany us to the surface. She is a top-flight athlete, and she was at the top of her class in biology. These skills will surely prove useful to us on the surface." Sam didn't break her stance at all, maintaining a very assertive position. She knew that these were things that her father would react to.

[Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg]

Sam knew better than to reply to her father, so she just sat there waiting for the briefing to start. She looked around the room, which looked less like the assembly hall she was used to, and more like a military staging room from the movies she watched on occasion. In her mind were thoughts of Anna, her best and dearest friend, whom Sam wished could come along for the expedition. As she waited, she figured she'd have a chat to Skylar, the girl sat next to her. She turned her head to casually look at the girl, whom she recognised from various places.
"Hey, I'm Samantha Blake. I've seen you around, but I don't think we've ever met." She smiled at Skylar, hoping to show that she was friendly. As she tried to make conversation with Skylar, Sam heard the door open again, turning to see who it was. As her best friend Anna Lockhart walked through the door to the assembly hall, bag in hand, Sam's heart wasn't sure what to do. She quickly stood up and ran over to Anna, first hugging her tightly, but then looking her directly in the eyes with a serious stare. "Anna, what are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you, but this is going to be a really dangerous mission!" Sam was extremely nervous for her own life, but if Anna got involved, it would double Sam's worries.
"Sam, please. Don't worry so much, we're both going to be fine. As soon as you left to come here, I went back to my house and gathered some things together." Anna looked over at Sam's father, who looked quite imposing in his security uniform. "I need to talk to your Dad, and pretty soon. Would you help me convince him this is a good idea?"
Sam didn't reply right away, instead taking several moments to think things through. She would certainly feel more comfortable on the surface if she had her dear friend with her, but on the other hand, it would mean both of them were at risk. Finally, Sam decided she'd help Anna convince Sam's father to let Anna join them. Taking Anna by the hand, Sam dragged her over towards Security Chief Ronan Blake. Sam cleared her throat, then said in a stern, military voice, "Father, I need you to allow Anna Lockhart to accompany us to the surface. She is a top-flight athlete, and she was at the top of her class in biology. These skills will surely prove useful to us on the surface." Sam didn't break her stance at all, maintaining a very assertive position. She knew that these were things that her father would react to.

Chief Ronan Blake was glad to see that his daughter was communicating successfully with the others, but it didn't surprise him. He knew that she was capable of great things, even if his methods of motivating her were a bit severe. He had never known any way but the hard way growing up, and it had turned him into the successful man he had become. He wanted success for Samantha, but it was perhaps not the type of success she wanted for herself. Nevertheless, Chief Blake still enforced military-discipline on his daughter. As Samantha's close friend Anna entered the assembly hall, Ronan was possibly just as surprised as Samantha was. He had always been fond of Anna, seeing her as a very skilled athlete, and a very intelligent mind. He felt that she was a valuable friend for Samantha to have, despite the troubles they got into as children. Despite being fond of the young woman, Ronan didn't remember seeing her name on the list of expedition members. He figured that Samantha would bring Anna over to talk to him eventually, and he was right.

After hearing Samantha's short speech about why Anna should be brought along on the expedition, Ronan pulled a clipboard from his bag. On it were the names of each of the individuals going for the expedition. At the end of the list, he added a name, looking into Anna Lockhart's eyes as he wrote, trying to sense apprehension. He found none there, finishing the addition of Anna's name to the list. At the bottom of the page, he signed his name, adding the T for his middle name, which so few knew about. Perhaps his parents had figured he'd become a tyrant, because they'd given him the second name Tiberius, after the man that Tacitus once described as a tyrannical dictator and a murderer. With a nod, he pointed the girls back to the seats, where hopefully they would focus their minds on the task ahead of them.

[Skegness-on-Pirn]

Chief Ronan Blake was glad to see that his daughter was communicating successfully with the others, but it didn't surprise him. He knew that she was capable of great things, even if his methods of motivating her were a bit severe. He had never known any way but the hard way growing up, and it had turned him into the successful man he had become. He wanted success for Samantha, but it was perhaps not the type of success she wanted for herself. Nevertheless, Chief Blake still enforced military-discipline on his daughter. As Samantha's close friend Anna entered the assembly hall, Ronan was possibly just as surprised as Samantha was. He had always been fond of Anna, seeing her as a very skilled athlete, and a very intelligent mind. He felt that she was a valuable friend for Samantha to have, despite the troubles they got into as children. Despite being fond of the young woman, Ronan didn't remember seeing her name on the list of expedition members. He figured that Samantha would bring Anna over to talk to him eventually, and he was right.

After hearing Samantha's short speech about why Anna should be brought along on the expedition, Ronan pulled a clipboard from his bag. On it were the names of each of the individuals going for the expedition. At the end of the list, he added a name, looking into Anna Lockhart's eyes as he wrote, trying to sense apprehension. He found none there, finishing the addition of Anna's name to the list. At the bottom of the page, he signed his name, adding the T for his middle name, which so few knew about. Perhaps his parents had figured he'd become a tyrant, because they'd given him the second name Tiberius, after the man that Tacitus once described as a tyrannical dictator and a murderer. With a nod, he pointed the girls back to the seats, where hopefully they would focus their minds on the task ahead of them.

Samantha and Anna both stood silently as they watched Chief Blake consider their proposal. Anna, taking the hint from Sam, stood straight and proper, not wanting to show the Chief any weakness. She had known Sam's father for almost her entire life, as she had been at Sam's house very often. When Chief Blake nodded, officially adding Anna's name to the list, Samantha and Anna didn't react immediately. Instead, they both nodded slightly to the Chief, showing their respect. They then turned around and went back to the seats. Once seated, they began to react with joy. Anna and Sam hugged each other as tightly as they had before, but now instead of leaving each other, they were glad to be with each other for more time.
"Anna, I can't believe you decided to come along. It'll be really dangerous, but I know we'll make it through just fine. If we can avoid my Dad's death rays, we can take on some planet." She laughed, extremely happy to have her friend by her side once more.
"I think your Dad will be a good person to have along on this trip, Sam. He'll make sure that we're all safe. Of course, he'll also make sure we all work twenty-four hours of the day, but that'll be alright I support." She chuckled, looking over at the stoic military man, who looked as though he was made from stone.

[Aden Protectorate]

Harold Hornblower
6th June, 2717
Assembly Hall
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Harold sat down, he loathed people who did not show up on time. From what he could tell there was about three people still missing, no matter, he had to make a mental note to not let things such as this bother him. It was the little things that usually got to him. Soon he had found sitting down to be tiresome and instead started to analyze the others in the room. First he reviewed what he knew of the Security Cheif, stern, strict, but fair. He moved onto others, there was that one kid, Yojo was his name? There was Samantha, what a naturally curious girl she was, he remembered overhearing his parents talking about how she had snuck into the Captain's office and read some secret document.

Then there was Skylar, he had yet to form an opinion on her. Then there was the Clarway, if anyone had ever met a more starry-eyed and naive young man he wouldn't believe him. He snickered to himself when he remembered his mother, a good-natured sweetie, calling him "Viccy" on his last day of school. Then came in Anna, he remembered taking a few classes with her, she seemed nice. In his ear he could hear them talking about Anna joining the expedition.

His eyes almost became widened when he heard, that Ronan had allowed her to join the team. This was so quick, last-minute and really he felt an un-calculated and risky move. Each one of the people hear had been training for this day, but she had just been allowed. He let out an internal sigh, he wouldn't say that obviously, if he wanted to keep up his affable appearance he would not speak out against his new peer. But he knew as a doctor that he would have to get a quick blood-test from Anna, to make sure there were no harmful symptons. The last time she had come by the clinic and run a test he remembered she had been clean, but he had to be safe.

He walked over to them.

"Anna good to see you, congratulations on joining the mission."

He gave her a quick smile.

"If you don't mind would I be able to run a quick blood test? For safety measures I need to make sure that you are harbouring no serious diseases that could impact the mission. I just need to draw a quick syringe and run it through the machine and then the microscope and we will be good. I am quite positive there will be nothing to worry about, but we need to be safe."

[Vacif]

Kei & Laura
6th June, 2717
Pilot Lounge
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Today was the day they'd head back to Earth. It was an exciting and nerve wracking day for the two as they'd been selected to fly the expeditionary group to the surface. When their friends and family got wind of the news they had all opted for a celebration. Said celebration was held in the Pilot Lounge, not so much a lounge as it was a break room though. The Fera's had prepared the food and everyone brought a little something to the party. They were still cleaning up when the announcement was made. The good news was the two of them were already dressed in their flight suits and their bags were already packed. The bad news was the Assembly Hall was on the other side of the ship, a full 15 minutes away. Kei and Laura both looked back to their respective friends and families, said a quick good bye and sprinted off to the Assembly Hall. They gradually slowed down before finally slowing down to a steady stride. This way they would get their fast enough and still look presentable. When they turned the corner that lead to the Assembly Hall their faces changed from smirks and grins to faces of determination and professionalism. Their helmets tucked under their left arms, both walking at an even stride in unison marched into the Assembly Hall. They saw the Chief and the Captain and stood at attention and snapped off a quick but professional salute. "Senior Airmen Dou and Airmen First Class Fera reporting for duty sirs!" They hoped they weren't too late.

[Elerian]

Miles Petraukas, The Starseeker

Miles looked at his antique pocket watch, it was an old keepsake that had been passed down since before humanity's downfall, and the little hands showed the time was 6:17. For all Miles knew this was the only watch, let alone the only time telling device on the ship. Miles supposed it was because Earth time was arbitrary for their purposes, but it was disheartening to Miles that they didn't have at least one clock that read Earth time. Regardless, 6:17 meant that they were getting ever nearer to the briefing, and subsequently their trip down to the surface.

Miles looked up from his watch and back at the weights set before him. In the last few months he'd been strengthening his mind and body in preparation for what lay ahead. He, like everyone else didn't know what waited for them on the surface, but he assumed it would be wildly different from what he'd read and seen on the vids. After this he would go and take a shower so he wouldn't look and smell like a pig for the impending briefing. Since the day he'd been told they were going to be sending humans back on their ancestral homeland he knew he would have to be on the first shuttle, of that he was never more sure in his life. Since then he'd taken class after class in subjects such as herbalism, self-defense, cooking, and even a handful of gun handling courses. Yet, even with all that training Miles still knew he was unprepared. No matter how many classes he took, deep down, he knew that once their shuttle touched down he would be just as clueless as everyone else.

Miles had just stepped into the shower when the familiar crackle of the intercomm came through the ship's speakers. Miles turned off the water to hear everything they said, and once the message had been transmitted Miles turned back on the water. He didn't think he had ever scrubbed himself down in such a rush in his life, but within four minutes he was hopping down the hallways trying in vain to put his left sock on.

By the time he had grabbed his bags and said his quick goodbyes to his family, Miles was already fifteen minutes late. "Shit", Miles swore after he walked through the doors that led to the Assembly hall. It looked like everyone but him was there. He awkwardly stood there for several moments as several judging eyes froze him in place for several moments. He looked at all the faces staring back at him. Some he knew only vaguely, some he knew all too well. His eyes finished their sweep and settled on one young man in particular; Viktor. Holy shit, what was Viktor doing here? He didn't have time to ask as the Captain's eyes bore into him. His face flushed red as he half ran to find a seat.

He sat down as far forward in the group as he could. He wanted to make sure he could hear every bit of detail that the man gave them. It probably wouldn't be much that he knew, but Miles was content with at least a little information, no matter how small. It seemed they were still missing several people, which brought a great deal of relief to Miles, but while they waited it seemed people had started to make nervous small talk. Not wanting to be left out Miles looked around for someone to talk to.

[Skegness-on-Pirn]

[...]"Anna good to see you, congratulations on joining the mission."

He gave her a quick smile.

"If you don't mind would I be able to run a quick blood test? For safety measures I need to make sure that you are harbouring no serious diseases that could impact the mission. I just need to draw a quick syringe and run it through the machine and then the microscope and we will be good. I am quite positive there will be nothing to worry about, but we need to be safe."

Anna recognised Harold Hornblower from class when they were children, but she never had much interaction with him. From her point of view, he had always been a very shy boy, so there was never much opportunity for the two to interact. They were put even further apart when Anna was sent off to the girls school, away from the standard schooling. Nonetheless, Anna greeted him with her usual, warm smile.

"It's nice to see you Harold, it's been a while since we've had any classes together."

She quickly unzipped her coat, revealing a red checked vest which she wore with a black shirt underneath. There were no sleeves on either shirt, so her arms were easily available for whatever Harold might need to do. She smiled, shrugging at him. "Sorry, I wasn't sure what you'd need to get at, so I figured I'd give you some options." She was referring to her arms, where she assumed he'd be taking blood from, but a quick elbow-nudge from Sam warned Anna that it may have sounded a bit sexual.

---

[...]Their helmets tucked under their left arms, both walking at an even stride in unison marched into the Assembly Hall. They saw the Chief and the Captain and stood at attention and snapped off a quick but professional salute. "Senior Airmen Dou and Airmen First Class Fera reporting for duty sirs!" They hoped they weren't too late.

Captain Cooper walked up to inspect the flight suits of the two pilots, whom he had selected personally for the mission. They were young, but they were skilled. He had absolute trust in the pair of young pilots, fearing no mistakes from either of them.

"Airmen, I'm sure you know the high-risk nature of this mission. You will learn more during the briefing, but I do suggest that you read up on some things as you wait." He handed to Senior Airman Dou a folder containing various documents about the communication technology aboard the landing craft. The vessel they'd be piloting was specially fitted for the mission at hand, so advanced comms had been installed. If those comms went down during entry, the Starseeker would be cut off from the expedition, so it was extremely important that the Airmen learned the specifications and information regarding how to enter the Earth's atmosphere without damaging the comms.

---

[...]He sat down as far forward in the group as he could. He wanted to make sure he could hear every bit of detail that the man gave them. It probably wouldn't be much that he knew, but Miles was content with at least a little information, no matter how small. It seemed they were still missing several people, which brought a great deal of relief to Miles, but while they waited it seemed people had started to make nervous small talk. Not wanting to be left out Miles looked around for someone to talk to.

Captain Cooper, when finished with the Airmen, went over to Miles Petraukas. He was not somebody that Captain Cooper was very well-acquainted with, but it didn't seem to be reasoning enough for Miles's neglecting to address the Captain. Hopper wasn't mad, but he did want to meet the young man Petraukas. He walked over within hand-shaking distance of him, holding out his hand.

"You must be Miles Petraukas. I have heard you are skilled in both field medicine and electrical repairs. I am Captain Cooper, as I'm sure you already know." He gestured over towards the two pilots. "Since you will likely be alongside those two to ensure nothing happens to the technology aboard the landing craft, I'd suggest you go acquaint yourself with them. The packet they are hopefully reading contains some very important specification information about the communications that were fitted to the landing craft."

[Aden Protectorate]

SNIP

Harold Hornblower
6th June, 2717
Assembly Hall
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

He smiled back at her and gave her a complimentary reply. And without a word he opened the medical kit he had been carrying in his left hand. He pulled out a small syringe, only a little bit of blood would do. Without bracing her or informing of her when he was about to he stabbed the syringe into her upper left shoulder. He found that patients anticipated it more, and there reaction was greater, the pain was sometimes psychologically worse as well. Harold just preferred a quick and decisive blow, without time to react on their part. If someone did not anticipate pain then they would not feel as much, the logic was quite simple.

Within minutes he had bandaged her arm with some salve and considered wrapping it in some gauze, however he decided to just put a bandage. Then he did a quick examination through the machine, then using a miniature microscope he once again examined them to make sure no infections had gotten pass the machine, which was not always entirely reliable He trusted his own eyes over the unreliability of the machine.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He walked over to Anna who seemed to be rubbing where he had taken the sample, which wasn't unusual for a patient.

"Your all clear, your perfectly healthy, though I am afraid I may have only worsened your condition by stabbing you in the arm."

He gave a smile. He was conscious about how on the -ing- in stabbing his voice took on a more steel-rubbing-on-iron quality. He sorrowfully regretted how he had let his voice condition deteriorate. He should have talked more when he was young, exercised it a little more. He composed his internal state, looking on the bright side of things, he was just about to be one of the first humans to set foot on the planet in seven-hundred years.

[Vacif]

The pilots took the 2 empty seats beside Mr. Petraukas and went over the sensitive technology that would be aboard the ship. Going over how to use it, maintain it, the works. Both pilots had their helmets on the table as they went over the details. Kei glanced over at Miles. "Are you alright Mr. Petraukas?"

[Elerian]

Miles Petraukas, The Starseeker

Miles stood up straight when he saw the captain approaching. He'd only ever seen him from a distance, and it seemed that the man wasn't much older than Miles. A disturbing thought indeed. Yet, even if he was only a young adult, he inspired confidence wherever he went, something of which Miles was grateful. Miles straightened out the front of his shirt and gave the captain a warm smile. The captain extended his hand for a handshake and Miles took it firmly. After the captain was done telling him of the Pilots he responded by saying, "you're too kind Captain, but I'll be sure to talk to the Pilots before we're off to the Shuttle." Miles nodded to the captain and said, "very nice to meet you sir, now if you'll excuse me I should really start getting to know the others." Miles excused himself and walked away from the chairs to see who was there.

After surveying the crowd he saw a young man with what appeared to be a syringe. He made the assumption that that could only be Mr. Hornblower. Miles walked over to him and nodded to each of the youngsters that had gathered together. He paused when he saw how young these people were. The oldest couldn't have been more than twenty, and yet they were letting practically children go down to the surface? It showed on his face for a moment before he regained his composure and to no one in particular, "I'm Miles Petraukas, I'll be keeping our electronics running while we're on the surface." He then turned to Hornblower and said, "so you must be the young Medical extraordinaire I've been hearing so much about? I'll be assisting you as a medic should the need arise." He gave the young man a genuine smile and extended a hand for a handshake.

[Skegness-on-Pirn]

-SNIP-

Anna didn't flinch at all at the feeling of the syringe, feeling hardly even a prick. She laughed a bit at what she perceived to be a joke - specifically when he mentioned the worsening of her condition. She was glad to hear that everything was alright, and she wore the smile to prove it. She was also glad that she'd have the opportunity to get to know Harold and the others better. She thanked Harold kindly for doing the test, then looked over at Sam, who seemed distracted by the view out the window of the Starseeker. The Earth's solitary moon was visible, including the massive crater that had been formed when the Russian Federation attacked an American installation there. The Russians had claimed the moon from that moment up until the end of the war, however the Starseeker residents didn't know any of this. Sam was snapped out of her distraction when Miles Petraukas came over and said hello. Sam couldn't remember if she'd ever seen the man before, and neither could Anna. He seemed to look at her and Anna with a bit of condescension, so Sam said hello to him in a stern, serious voice. "I'm Sam Blake, and this is Anna Lockhart. I know we may look young, but we're both more than capable of participating on this mission." Anna, not feeling confrontational, smiled at Miles, but said nothing.

As the expedition group distracted themselves with either conversation or contemplation, Captain Cooper made his way back to the presentation board. By that time, twelve armed security officers had joined the group in the assembly hall, sitting apart from the rest of the group. The rowdy group of men were joking around and laughing with each other, seemingly trying to keep calm before the mission. Eleven of the men carried standard issue assault rifles, but there was one man with a heavy sniper rifle. They were already briefed by the second-in-command of the Security Force, but the briefing given by the Captain was considered more important. As Captain Cooper looked out over the group, clearing his throat, the security officers, as well as Samantha Blake and Anna Lockhart, looked up at him attentively.

"Greetings, everyone, and thank you for putting up with the wait." Captain Cooper was a fantastic speaker, and inspired confidence in others through his strong voice and smart gesticulation. "As you all know, you will be soon embarking upon the most important expedition in seven hundred years. I hate to put such a pressure on you all, but I have confidence that we have gathered the most qualified individuals from amongst the population. Each and every one of you will have to work hard as a team in order to achieve success down there. I regret that I won't be able to accompany you, but I take comfort in the knowledge that I have this opportunity to do what I can to prepare you for the mission."

He walked several steps towards the presentation board, where he pointed to a topographic map produced by the imagery from the biosensors sent to Earth several weeks earlier. On the map, he pointed to a red dot. "This dot marks the location at which you will be landing. Sixteen miles to the east is a large mountain, which will be your first campsite. This location was selected because the biosensors detected a large number of natural cave formations in the base of the mountain. It will be safe to stay in there for as long as necessary. To the west of the drop zone, by approximately two miles, is a very wide river. It will likely be impassible at that location, but that won't be much of a problem. You will be landing on the correct side of the river." He then pointed to a black dot several map-miles southeast from the red dot. "Here, approximately ten miles to the south east from your landing zone, is the site of a former military installation. The landmass you will be landing in was known as America back before the Second Great War, and it was the United States of America who owned this installation. Your task will be to eventually make your way to this installation in order to scout out whether there is any usable technology within. You will need to make that trek on foot, due to rough terrain between the mountain and the military base."

Captain Cooper then looked somewhat nervous as he moved over to the other side of the board, where several biological reports were tacked. "There is a good reason for the twelve-man security team that will accompany you all. Our biosensors detected many different forms of life in the area surrounding the drop zone. Several of these species of animal were recognised by our sensors as deer, rabbit, and various canine species. Our concern is that several of these species were not recognised. There are confirmed dangerous animals in the area, but with the weapons provided to the security personnel, these should be more than manageable." He looked around the room, then to Security Chief Blake, to whom he nodded. "Expeditionary team, you are about to be the first humans to travel to Earth in seven hundred years. I suggest you calm your nerves, because the trip will around ten and a half days." With that, the Captain clacked his heels together and left the room.

Following the orders of the Captain directly, the security team squad leader stood up then. He was a young soldier called Henry Ibsen, with strong facial structure and close-cut blonde hair. He looked out at the team, gesturing towards the utility door of the Assembly Hall. "In an orderly fashion, you will all make your way to the cargo bay, where the landing craft is waiting. There, you will all be seated and given the survival packs essential to this mission. I encourage you all to begin going right now, as this process may take some time."

When Captain Cooper left the room, and Officer Ibsen told the expedition group the plan, Samantha looked over at Anna. She put her forehead against Anna's, as they had before every sporting competition they'd ever competed in together, and said a fast prayer for safety. She wasn't religious, but she still found comfort in prayer. Then, both girls stood and went over to where the security officers were waiting. Once there, the officers would wait for each member of the group to arrive at the ship, get on board, and prepare themselves. Then, when ready, the pilots would start the engines of the landing craft and they'd be underway.

[Vacif]

K put the files back where they belonged and took them with him. The two pilots grabbed their helmets and followed the security team out the door. While marching down the corridor L's mind wandered a bit. Would they be staying with the ship? Or joining them on the ground? Did they get guns? Neither pilot had ever shot a gun before, the past weeks of training had been survival training, pitching tents, foraging, starting fires, the likes.

[Aden Protectorate]

Harold Hornblower
6th June, 2717
Assembly Hall
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Another young man walked over to Harold after he had finished with Anna. It would be good to get to know all these people who would be journeying with him. He was never much of a social butterfly, as one with any common sense could see just by observing him. He didn't want that to change, on the inside he would probably be the same person. Quiet, and shy was the name of the game for him. But he tried to work on that, putting himself in the situations that were so uncomfortable for him.

The man introduced himself as Miles. Harold recognized him from around the hospital programme, he recalled him taking a few classes and remembered that his father was the Chief Medical Officer at one point, he couldn't remember if he still was or not. Miles seemed very forward, introducing himself up front and sticking out a hand for a handshake. Harold followed suite, shaking his hand firmly and replying.

"I would hardly call myself extraordinaire Mr. Petraukas. My name is Harold Hornblower, I believe we have met quite a few times at the hospital. You were in my school for a few years were you not? Anyways I am glad to have the help, I could certainly use it."

Harold winced on the inside, every second of the day he was keenly aware at how hoarse his voice sounded, it produced a great deal of anxiety in him. How annoying people must find the sound of him. He was careful not to let people know he thought of his voice. Then the booming and mesmerizing voice of the Captain announced that the presentation would be soon. He turned to Miles.

"Shall we continue this conversation aboard the ship. I assume we will be staying in the same quarters due to our similarity in our fields."

The presentation was excellent, the Captain possessed a booming and commanding voice, that could mesmerize and ensnare his audiences. It was a trait, according to his father, that was shared by his entire line. Despite that he found the entire thing rather boring, he had already done the necessary studying and preparation that he covered in this. Afterwards he moved to where the security guards awaited him, and so started the adventure of his life.

[Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg]

When the time came, Security Chief Blake left the assembly hall ahead of the others. He wasn't assigned to the expeditionary team to babysit, he was assigned to them to ensure that the group stayed alive. He didn't care about most of the people, however he would be devastated if he lost his daughter down on the surface. He made his way down the long halls of the utility sector, eventually arriving at the hangar in the cargo bay. The transport vessel was still being prepped by various technicians and mechanics, so Chief Blake decided to leave them alone. He had his handgun strapped to his belt in a well-made holster, and he wore his rank insignia proudly, so everybody in the hangar knew who he was. He walked up a flight of stairs into the main offices for the cargo bay. On the far side of the office sat a very fat man with a large stack of inventory paperwork in front of him. Walking over to the man, Chief Blake said, "Coffee?" He was pointed towards a machine on the wall, so Chief Blake made himself a mug of the rancid liquid and forced himself to drink it as he waited for the team to arrive to the hangar.

[BettaMin]

Yojimbo 'Yojo' Ishiro
6th June, 2717
Assembly Hall
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Ishiro listened intently as the Captain debriefed the group, learning as much as he could. He was unsure still why he would be necessary, given that several other members had similar qualifications in the sciences, and his physical skills were rendered moot by the presence of a security escort, but he couldn't complain. They were going to Earth, the first humans that had set foot on the planet in seven hundred years. Dangerous fauna wouldn't be a concern with the security escort, if things played out right. He wasn't quite sure whether they'd be issued guns as well. Despite his physical skills, he had never used a gun before, unless he could count the homemade spring powered pellet guns he had made and toyed with as a child.

With the end of the speech, Ishiro shouldered his bag, stood with the others, and followed the security guards out to the hangar. He wondered about the security guards, looking them curiously up and down from behind. They were young, but confident and strong, at least in appearance. Would they remain so when they landed? Could he trust his security into the hands of these men? He looked away, trying to think of more positive things.

He looked around at the others. Evidently, he was surrounded by experts in their respective fields. Like Hornblower. Harold Hornblower, he realized, reminded him of hand sanitizer. Almost too clean. Which was a good sign for medical staff. The two pilots looked and acted almost like twins, and Ishiro had difficulty figuring out whether they were in a relationship, related, or just really good friends. However, they looked professional, and he knew he could trust them with his safety. The other two girls, Anna and Samantha, seemed close, as evident by their behavior. He was uncertain, however, about Captain Blake working with his daughter. where would his priorities lie? Victor seemed like a child to Ishiro, more so than any of the rest, even though he was only separated by a year from Anna and Samantha. He was unsure about his specialization, but he hoped it had little to do with weapons. Miles, out of all, he felt the most in common with. He announced himself as a Engineer, but declared himself as also an assistant medic, and also had a fit physique, something uncommon among professionals of both those professions, whom he found generally to be more of the lanky build. This scattered set of interests interested him. Just like Ishiro, it seemed he felt at home among several disciplines, not just one.

[Vacif]

Kei & Laura
6th June, 2717
Hangar
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit
Kei and Laura talked with the maintenance crew while they waited for the others to arrive. The security team had given the two of them pistols and several magazines of ammunition. They told Kei and Laura how to fire it, how to handle, reload and care for it. The pistol was a Beretta 90 Two, apparently it was a more ergonomic and comfortable weapon to shoot than its older cousin, the 92. They would continue practicing and going over proper handling/care until the others were ready. The 2 pilots got the hand of the weapons easily and continued to train with the weapons until the time came to depart.

[Skegness-on-Pirn]

Sam had been nervous for some time, but now she was ready to go. She looked at the landing craft, which although she wouldn't admit to the authorities, she had seen before. She had snuck into the hangar as the special craft was being built, standing in the rafters high above as the engineers created a thing of beauty. At that moment, she knew that she needed to be a part of the expedition. Now, here she was, ready as ever to be one of the first people on Earth for seven hundred years. She tapped her foot as she waited, frustrated that perhaps it would be seven hundred years and one day by the time they actually got moving. She had her bag on the ground next to her as she looked around the hangar, spotting her father drinking coffee in the office. She smirked as she knew that he hated coffee. In that moment she wondered if they had real, naturally growing coffee beans on the surface. She figured she'd find out soon enough.

As Sam looked around impatiently, Anna sat on her bag on the ground. She was always a laid-back, relaxed type of person, but if something important came up, she'd be all over it. She liked to consider herself a reliable person, which Sam always seemed to agree with. She rubbed her arm where Harold had taken some blood, now feeling a slight soreness at the site. It was nothing compared to the various injuries she'd sustained via gymnastics, but it was a soreness nonetheless. Looking over at Harold, she wondered whether he really wanted to be amongst the group. There was something about the lad that Anna was drawn to, but she figured it was his reputation as a doctor. It helped him that he was a handsome young man, too. Looking over at Sam, Anna tried to take her mind off of the young doctor.
"Hey, Sam, does your father give the order for us to take off? The Captain isn't here, so I guess it isn't him." She hoped for a response, but all she got was a shrug from Sam, who seemed distracted.

Meanwhile, as the expeditionary group was preparing, the security team gathered in a horseshoe shape. Officer Ibsen, who held the rank of Lieutenant, stood in the opening of the horseshoe with a clipboard, facing the team. He looked over the security force, secret worries filling his head. He had confidence in the skill of his officers, but he still worried about what unknown things they might find on the surface. Putting these thoughts out of his head, he looked down at the clipboard briefly, then back to the troops.
"Attention, officers, I need to take roll. When I state your rank, then your name, I want you to take a knee. I will not be looking up from this clipboard, so I trust you all to obey. Understood?" The officers all nodded respectfully, so Lieutenant Ibsen began.

"Sergeant Jonathan Blair,
Sergeant Klara Stieglitz,
Sergeant Grady Oliver,
Corporal Everett Hale,
Corporal Leah Patrick,
Corporal John Hansen,
Officer First Class Nina Park,
Officer First Class Jack Ward,
Officer First Class Derrick Lowe,
Officer First Class Fred Watson,
and Officer First Class Alexandra Ibsen."

As Lieutenant Ibsen said his sister's name off the list, he gritted his teeth. His younger sister had been selected for the expedition by Security Chief Blake, which Henry was convinced was done out of anger from the Chief towards young Henry Ibsen. Henry hadn't even wanted Alexandra to join the security force, but the fact that she was to come along on such a dangerous mission pissed Henry right off. He saw that every member of the team was now down on one knee, which confirmed that all were in attendance. With the knowledge that the security team was ready, he ordered them onto the landing craft. One by one, the security team members boarded the craft. Henry took his sister by the shoulder as she was about to board, pulling her back briefly.
"Alex, you need to know that this is very dangerous. If anything goes wrong, I want you by my side. You understand me?" He looked with a serious gaze into his sister's eyes, worried for her safety. If he lost Alex, he would be failing not only himself, but his family. Alex simply nodded, then turned around and boarded the craft, leaving Henry even more frustrated than before.

As the security team got set up inside of the landing craft, Sam and Anna decided to follow them in. They left their bags with the technicians in charge of loading the craft, then went up the ramp into the large ship. It was quite nice, but neither of the girls felt perfectly safe within. They had both read in the information booklets that the entry into Earth's atmosphere would be quite dangerous. Neither of them wanted to die, but if they were to die, they'd rather it be on the surface. The close friends looked at each other, whispering one last good-luck prayer, then strapped into their designated seats.

[Vacif]

Kei Dou & Laura Fero
6th June, 2717
Hangar
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Once the two of them were done practicing with their new side arms they split up. Kei holstered his pistol and walked up to the crew chief. The two talked for some time, discussing the vessel the expedition crew would be boarding. She was in tip top shape, all systems were green and everything worked as it should be. The crew chief reported no problems on the ship what so ever, featuring many state of the art technologies, the only people that needed to really be inside the cockpit were the pilot. However there were still several vacant chairs and consoles behind the pilots seats. Meanwhile Laura watched the security team sound off. Lieutenant Ibsen looked visibly distressed that the younger Ibsen, probably a sibling, was attending this possibly life threatening mission. The security team checked in with the loadmaster, depositing their bags and equipment into a container for the loadmaster to store away properly. Maintenance staff and other crew were clearing the area of equipment and parts or moving towards the sidelines as their jobs were done. Laura decided she wanted to get a good look of the interior of the ship. She handed off her bag off to the loadmaster as well and explored the spacious interior. Kei on the other hand took his time examining the exterior before handing his bag off to the loadmaster and joining Laura.

The inside was just as nice as the outside. While it was clean and crisp, it also maintained an air of comfort but at the same time a kind of utilitarian-esq design. The security team was seated comfortably chatting quietly among them selves. The cockpit was also quite fancy, nothing too new for the pilots as the set up for most space craft was universal. After testing the strength of the chairs and consoles a bit, they nodded their heads in approval. When they saw the communications console, it looked a lot sturdier than they'd imagined. However it was what was inside that counted. The two pilots made sure no one saw or heard the two of them while inside the cockpit. Once they were sure no one could see or hear them they let out a small cheer and high fived each other. They walked out of the ship and decided to join the Chief in grabbing a quick cup of coffee before take of. They were sure the others would come soon enough. After a few moments of awkward silence something dawned on the both of them. They didn't know the ships name...well they had the ID, which was really just a bunch of random numbers and letters but that did not count. "Excuse me sir, but does our ship have a name yet?"

[Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg]

Kei Dou & Laura Fero
6th June, 2717
Hangar
200,623 Miles Above Earth, in the Planetary Orbit

Once the two of them were done practicing with their new side arms they split up. Kei holstered his pistol and walked up to the crew chief. The two talked for some time, discussing the vessel the expedition crew would be boarding. She was in tip top shape, all systems were green and everything worked as it should be. The crew chief reported no problems on the ship what so ever, featuring many state of the art technologies, the only people that needed to really be inside the cockpit were the pilot. However there were still several vacant chairs and consoles behind the pilots seats. Meanwhile Laura watched the security team sound off. Lieutenant Ibsen looked visibly distressed that the younger Ibsen, probably a sibling, was attending this possibly life threatening mission. The security team checked in with the loadmaster, depositing their bags and equipment into a container for the loadmaster to store away properly. Maintenance staff and other crew were clearing the area of equipment and parts or moving towards the sidelines as their jobs were done. Laura decided she wanted to get a good look of the interior of the ship. She handed off her bag off to the loadmaster as well and explored the spacious interior. Kei on the other hand took his time examining the exterior before handing his bag off to the loadmaster and joining Laura.

The inside was just as nice as the outside. While it was clean and crisp, it also maintained an air of comfort but at the same time a kind of utilitarian-esq design. The security team was seated comfortably chatting quietly among them selves. The cockpit was also quite fancy, nothing too new for the pilots as the set up for most space craft was universal. After testing the strength of the chairs and consoles a bit, they nodded their heads in approval. When they saw the communications console, it looked a lot sturdier than they'd imagined. However it was what was inside that counted. The two pilots made sure no one saw or heard the two of them while inside the cockpit. Once they were sure no one could see or hear them they let out a small cheer and high fived each other. They walked out of the ship and decided to join the Chief in grabbing a quick cup of coffee before take of. They were sure the others would come soon enough. After a few moments of awkward silence something dawned on the both of them. They didn't know the ships name...well they had the ID, which was really just a bunch of random numbers and letters but that did not count. "Excuse me sir, but does our ship have a name yet?"

Chief Blake finally got the rest of the dreadful coffee down, hoping that it would provide him with the energy he needed to be fully alert for the full seven-hour trip. If he was excited about going down to Earth, he certainly didn't show it outwardly. In fact, the man very rarely showed any emotion. He watched as Lieutenant Ibsen loaded the security team onto the landing ship, noticing that the young soldier clearly didn't approve of his sister being selected. Chief Blake hadn't chosen the younger Ibsen out of any sort of feelings towards Henry. The reason Chief Blake chose Alexandra Ibsen for the expedition was the simple fact that she was an outstanding shot, with astounding physical endurance. She was practically built for such a mission, which made the decision to include her simple. He noticed that his daughter, along with Anna Lockhart, were also boarding the landing ship. He figured that he should soon do the same, but he didn't want to be seen sitting down, as he felt it was a sign of weakness. Instead, he decided he'd wait, determined to be the last aboard the landing ship. As he waited, the pilots came up to the office for coffee. He nearly cracked a grin as he saw them pouring themselves cups of the rancid swill. He was intrigued by their questioning regarding the name of the vessel, as he had never thought about it. He decided that he'd respond in a manner that the pilots should really have expected from him. Without changing his facial expression in the slightest, he said, "It is apparent that the vessel is named LC-115a 206c DE34. As you should both already know, this sequence of numbers and letters designates it as landing craft one hundred and fifteen, model two hundred and six from C-deck, with the designation thirty-four. If any other means of identification were necessary, it would already be written on the side of the craft. Now, I must go to the main deck." With that, he left the office and went down the stairs, truly not caring if the pilots were fond of him or not. His mission was to keep these people safe; not to keep them friends.