The was an undeniable ache to all of Gordon's muscles as he slid into the molded carbon fiber chair which was one of six positioned around the communal table at the center of the Bark Raleigh's small mess hall and communal living area. He sighed in resignation as he slumped into the chair, his mind cursing the lingering after effects of the six month hibernation from which he had just awoken from the day prior.
” It's still hard for me to wrap my head around ” Gordon started, his voice low and raspy as his vocal chords were still weak ” I mean it's been seventy-eight years since we left Earth space but only six and a half months for us. ” He continued, as he turned his head to face the only other member of the Bark Raleigh's six person expedition crew in the living area, Dr. Gemma Barlowe PHD, a stout blonde woman who served as the crew's medical expert. ” I told you once already I'm no physicist. ” The doctor replied in jest as she took a seat across from Gordon. ” They briefed me on the effects of traveling at 80% of the speed of light the same as they did you, after all ” She continued, referring to Gordon's role in the crew, sociologist and psychology. ” Yeah, yeah. ” he waved his hand flippantly in the direction as he reached for a mug of coffee that rested on the table ahead of him when the crackle of the radio interrupted.
” All crew to the bridge, we've got our first ping from Kish. Repeat, all crew to the bridge, we've got our first ping from Kish. ” The voice said with emphasis, as Kish was their ultimate end point, the Earth like planet some fifty light years from their soon to be barren home world, the last hope for humanity.
— OOC Talk: Our ship is called the Bark Raleigh, we're just about to arrive at the destination Planet Kish in order to find out why communication with the colony has been lost. Our mission is identified as Project ARK, the ultimate goal being to migrate life from Earth to Kish. When communication with Kish was lost, 78 years ago on Earth with little time to spare we were sent to investigate, knowing that if we don't semd word back soon mankind may be lost.
6:18 pm June 23, 2016
ShogoMaki
Member
posts 308
2
Clicking on the datapad as he rounded in way into the living area of the Birch Raleigh, the youngest member of the crew, Shinra Kishitani, was reviewing all information that was given prior the colony stopping communication. Hearing the inquiry from the captain, Shinra thought he should answer even though not ask, “I was interested in that as well Gordon.” Still clicking away and reading his datapad as he continue, “I'm no physis either, but he fascinated me so I looked into it. The science behind it can be somewhat complicated, but let me put it in terms you may understand.” His tone contained a sense of awe with no thought of talking down to his captain even though hs words may seem it, “Imagine time if a straight racing track. You race someone and run at the same speed and end up at the finish line at the same time. Now imagine they run 80% slower than you and you both stop when you reach the finish line. Your must further ahead even though you left at the same time and it would take them a great deal of time you reach where you are. Albeit it's a lot more complicated than that, but that's the general idea.” Looking up from his datapad at the captain with an inquistive look, “Does that help?”
Shinra was consider a genius prodigy on Earth. Recieving two PhD in chemisty and biology at the age of 20. he had worked on this project for several year, well the records would say far more years than he had. Recruited to anaylze the the environment of Kish in particular, he had studied all the information of the datapad so much he had memorized it, but the idea of foreign organisms fascinated him so much in his spare time he even looked at the other planets information. Oblivious about social queues that other's may see, Shinra excels at seeing whats plannly in front of him and this was why he was recruited at part of the team at the young age of 25. Nodding to the captain's orders, Shinra poured over the data again as he sat in his seat on the bridge.
OOC: He's a picture as reference
10:24 pm June 23, 2016
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
3
Post edited 3:17 pm – June 24, 2016 by Sanarian
In the day since she had awoken from the half-year long hibernation Rin hadn't felt well. All of her joints ached, she had a headache that wouldn't fade, and worst of all her stomach was in knots and wouldn't settle. She couldn't be sure if it was the after-effects of her time in hibernation, or just a lack of experience with space travel, but it didn't matter in the end. Whatever the cause was, knowing about it wouldn't a difference–she would still feel like she had gone ten rounds with a blender. “Fucking hate this….” Rin cursed as she continued to stumble down the corridor, in a desperate effort to reach the nearest rest room.
A sudden upheaval in her stomach brought Rin to the floor. Briefly she tried to restrain herself, but it quickly became too much for her. Rin retched the contents of her stomach onto the floor, and them collapsed just a few feet away from the mess she had made. With her stomach now empty she felt a little better, though still pretty horrible overall. Until the radio crackled to life Rin was content to just lie there. With the announcement that they had received their first ping from Kish, and the orders to report to the bridge she struggled to her feet. With a groan of pain she stepped around the mess of vomit. With a brief pause she turned back to the mess, then shrugged her shoulders. “Someone else can clean that up….” At that she left the scene quick as she could, still stumbling her way through the corridor.
The vibration of the Bark Raleigh's sub-light gravity distortion engines danced through Gordon's arms as he placed his palms flat on the table and pushed to lift his tired body from the chair. He paused a moment, listening to Shinra speak, but quickly decided that his analogy wrong but discussion could wait until later.
” We should probably get to the bridge. ” Gordon stated with his raspy voice before starting off through the compact living area, through the short connecting corridor to the bridge. ” Everyone gather round, seems we're picking up our first signal from Kish, though it appears to be localized and not a deep space signal. ” Commander Collins said as he waved Gordon and the others towards him as he stood stoically tall at the center of the bridge, his strong figure imposing. ” That's interesting, how close are we to Kish now? ” Gordon responded as he stepped forward, noticing that Rin and the others had joined them. ” Less than eight hours from landing, we began to decrease our speed two weeks ago, before any of you had awoken from hibernation. ” Dr Barlowe chimed in, her voice stable and soft as she had awoken a week before the others. ” Just enough time for you to rest befo—. ” The doctor had begun before being up off by the commander. ” Hold on. The OS has finished deciphering the signal I'm going to put it through the speakers. ” The commander said halting the conversation as he swiped at the command screen.
” &*#Repe..at^&&3$#Th.&ey.*H*&3388#Over..Run^^3 Us.^^#$ ” The sound of the transmission was crackled and full of noise and strange clicks, though the voice was clearly human, and obviously a distress signal.
— OOC Talk: Gordon is not the captain, he's the Pychologist and Socialogist. Dr. Barlowe is the Doctor, Commander Collins is the leader of the mission, and Sergeant Lee is master of arms. It should also be noted Earth has had no contact with the Colony is over 100 years, there is no way to send long wave transmissions faster than light speed which takes 50 years from Kish to Earth. OUr six person crew is going to find out what has happened with less that six months time to send a transmission of success to Earth so they can seed the true migration to Kish. Time is not on our side.
7:46 pm June 24, 2016
ShogoMaki
Member
posts 308
5
Shinra listened to the message from his seat. While short and full of background noise, Shinra tried his best to dissect anything he could out of the message before they hit the ground. While the clicking could have come from many different sources perhaps the creatures here were similar to insects back home. A resislient class of animals with many making some kind of clicking noise. Shinra choose not to voice his hypothesis to the crew yet as he was simply trying to make something out of very little, but if he was right insects were known for being very organized and far stronger for their size that would be believed. Pouring through the data again for any signs of insects the size from earth, mainly to stop himself from stating his idea, and waited for the rest of the crew to digust the truth of the mission.
11:06 pm June 25, 2016
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
6
Post edited 3:58 am – January 20, 2017 by Sanarian
When she stumbled onto the bridge she saw that the others had already arrived, and gathered around Commander Collins. With a pained moan she made her way over to the group. Once she had arrived Rin swept her long vermilion hair back in an attempt to compose her disheveled appearance. Rin was relieved to hear that they were only a few hours from arrival on Kish, but couldn't help but tune out after that–the science didn't interest her, and she didn't have the strength right then to pretend it did.
Upon Commander Collins' announcement that they had deciphered the signal, however, she once more began to listen intently. As the transmission began to play, the message barely audible between the static, the noise in the background, and the strange clicks that accompanied all of it. When the message finished Rin couldn't help but speak up. “Are those cli–” Rin cut herself off as her stomach twisted over and over, but somehow she managed to contain her stomach contents this time. “Are those clicks just more static in the message?” Rin quickly blurted out, before she put a hand over her mouth to contain the bit of vomit that came up. It tasted worse going down than it did coming up.
A brief silence overtook the bridge as the static and click riddled message came to a stop, as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Gordon seemed puzzled, the expression on his face one of complete astonishment. He had always assumed that something bad had become of the Kish Colony, that was just his nature, but having heard the distress signel only rooted those negative feelings deeper, feelings that seemed to take over the entire crew until Rin spoke up.
” It sure sounded like it, I don't like this a— ” Gordon began to respond before being interrupted. ” Let's not jump to conclusions. ” Collins had cut in, perfectly aware of Gordon's intentions, hoping to nip them quickly. ” Everyone is dismissed, Sergeant Lee and I will discuss this in private. The rest of you prepare for descent, we may have to speed up our arrival. ” Collins continued before motioning for the others to leave while taking the Sergeant by the elbow and leading him towards his quarters.
Gordon hung around for a moment, still dazed by what he had heard. His eyes had drifted around the bridge, briefly stopping on each of his fellow crew mates. How this message would effect their mental state had crossed his mind, as it had clearly effected his own. Feeling movement around him Gordon shook himself free of the sense of dread that had overtaken him and followed the others, making his way back to the central mess hall.
— OOC Talk: —
7:51 pm June 28, 2016
ShogoMaki
Member
posts 308
8
Shinra had always known that something bad had happened to the previous team and the scientist in him had hoped it was due to some unknown lifeform. Something simply like communications being down was unlikely since communication was the most important part of their mission, it had to be that they couldn't communicate due to issues no with the electronics, but themselves. Continuing to gather data through his pad, Shinra was unaffected by the call except that he had a job to do.
Once all the crew, but the commander and the sergeant, were out of the room, Shinra approached them with a final swipe on his datapad, “Commander, I just sent over some information that you may find relevant.” He turned and immediately left the bridge, knowing if they wanted him there he would have been told to stay, plus with the data of bugs the are close in sound to the clicking may help as much as he could.
4:00 pm July 6, 2016
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
9
Post edited 8:00 pm – July 6, 2016 by Sanarian
Rin wanted nothing more than to voice her dissent, to argue that the situation involved the entire crew, but she couldn't muster the strength in her current condition. With a deep scowl spread across her features Rin shuffled through the door with the others and made her way to the central mess hall. When she arrived Rin practically collapsed into the nearest chair, hoping that a bit of rest might at least help her stomach settle. “You… were saying something on the bridge, Gordon, what was it?” Rin asked with a groan of pain. Even if the Commander hadn't allowed them to remain on the bridge, he hadn't forbid them from voicing their opinions to one another.
The steady hum of the Bark Raleigh's background noise enveloped Gordon as he drifted inside his own head, moving through the mess hall in what could be best described as a daze. His mind was busy tackling more important questions, trying to wrap itself around the information and lack thereof that he had just been presented with.
” What? ”Gordon suddenly shook himself free, having caught the tail end of Rin's question, his mind taking a moment to peice the entire comment together. ” That message, it just seemed unusual. I guess we'll find out soon enough though? ” He replied with a rhetorical as he slumped into the same seat he had occupied just minutes before. ” We're probably going to forgo the next deceleration cycle in order to cut our descent time. Since we have no way of knowing exactly when that signal was sent. ” Dr. Barlowe said as she re-entered the central mess hall. ” Expect to have your feet on the ground in an hour. ” she continued as she took a seat at the table.
— OOC Talk: —
4:44 pm July 9, 2016
ShogoMaki
Member
posts 308
11
Shinra smiled to himself hearing the words of Gordon. He wished so much to find out what had happened down there and what it was like down there. He was not studying the information worrying, he studying trying to come up the answer before they landed and find if he was right. It was the reason he studying science. To Shinra, it was all about being right and science was simply the study of finding right.
Making his way to the bridge, Shinra moved his head slightly as he looked down, going over possibilities in his head. Sitting in his seat, Shinra buckled in and listened in his head the slight difference in insect noises trying to match up as best as he could, though he knew the chance of that was nill on Earth, nevermind an alien planet. What he really sought to see was the plant life. Much unappreciated on Earth, plants could solve a wide range of problems without needing to use more modern means and this planet could have all new types of plants with unknown effects. Smiling ear to ear, Shinra wished so to analyze it on a molecular level.
9:50 am July 24, 2016
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
12
Post edited 1:50 pm – July 24, 2016 by Sanarian
Rin leaned forward in the chair with a fair deal of effort, then covered her face with both hands. If Dr. Barlowe's declaration was right, then they would be on the ground within an hour–which would be a relief, in due time, but for now only served to make her more nauseous. She knew it was her nerves, the anticipation, fear, and concern about heading face first into an unknown situation. Rin didn't say anything further, instead reclining in the chair once more. She couldn't help but feel they were rushing into a situation that was far over their heads.
Dr. Barlowe's statement rushed over Gordon like a breaking wave, unleashing a torrent of fear that grasped him at the core and held him motionless as he tried to regain control. He knew the second that they had left Earth that this moment would come, but only now had the truth awoken within him.
” We. We're Forgoing the final deceleration? ” Gordon paused for a moment before finishing his question, the pictures of the pre-flight briefing cycling through his head. Memories of the importance of those deceleration periods for entering the atmosphere at the right speed. ” Isn't that risky? ” He managed to finish his thought. ” The commander knows the risk, I'm confident that he wouldn't put us in any harms way. After that transmission we have to get to the surface as soon as possible. ” The doctor answered Gordon, seemingly in agreement with the commander. ” Then we should all return to the bridge and get strapped in. ” Gordon rambled as he stood up from the central table, a noticeable wobble to his body from nervousness apparent as he passed Rin and followed Shinra back towards the Bridge.
— OOC Talk: —
12:50 am January 20, 2017
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
14
It wasn't until Gordon brought it up that the news really sank in for Rin. If the commander truly intended to forgo a final deceleration cycle they were in for a bumpy ride. A very bumpy ride. She felt her stomach twist into yet another knot at the mere thought. Once the others finished their conversation and made their exit Rin stumbled awkwardly out of her chair, and made her way over to the nearby waste bin before leaning over it. Once again she retched up the contents of her stomach, before she too made her way out of the mess hall and to the bridge. If there were any plus to forgoing deceleration, it was that she would soon have her feet planted firmly upon solid ground once more.
The mood on the bridge had changed since they had left, upon returning Commander Collins and Sergeant Lee were buzzing like bees, moving through what Gordon new must be a complicated checklist of commands that would allow them to forgo the final deceleration and instead enter the atmosphere of Kish at an arc which would cause them to quickly decelerate via atmospheric force upon the ship itself. Not hesitating Gordon quickly made his way to his seat, plopping in it with haste as many of the others had already done. Quickly he had reached around, slipping one shoulder at a time into his heavy saftey harness, which he buckled across his midsection. ” Where's Rin? We're about to begin the entry into the atmosphere!? ” The commander shouted just as Rin entered the bridge and made for her sear next to Gordon. ” Cutting it a little close aren't you? ” Gordon joked as he acknowledged Rin and prepared psychologically for what was going to be an interesting few minutes.
— OOC Talk: —
12:58 am January 23, 2017
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
16
Rin stepped onto the bridge no worse for the wear, though that meant little given her poor state. At the joke Rin could only manage a pained groan, where normally she would have retorted with a wry comeback. With every ounce of strength she could muster Rin made her way to her seat and took her seat gracefully as she could (which is to say, without any). Rin's hands were quite shaky between her nerves, and the sick feeling in her gut, but somehow she managed to slide her arms into the safety harness and then buckle it. Secure in her seat she reclined and relaxed to the best of her ability, sapphire eyes closed, as she prayed to any Gods she could think of that they would come out of this alive.
The ship rocked violently as it entered Kish's atmosphere, the unsettling tremor seemed to bring everything around them into silence. Gordon was alert, his eyes darting around the bridge, from flashing lights, to the Commander, to the others. He knew that extreme energies would be dispersed trhough the ship as the Bark Raleigh struck the dense atmosphere of the planet at extreme speed, his mind flashing to videos of the Apollo astronauts re-entering Earths atmosphere flashing through his mind. ” Heat sensors are reading 87% capacity Commander. ” Sergeant Lee suddenly broke the silence, his voice somewhat shaky, unusual for a man of such renown valor. ” Did you say 87%, that can't be right we still have three minutes until we've decelerated enough to make a safe landing. ” Collins replied quickly, caution present in his voice. ” It's up to 92% sir! The heat shields are not going to hold up! ” The Sergeant retorted quickly.
Gordon felt his heart skip a beat as the listened to the conversation between the two pilots of the ship, his mind not fully comprehending the consequences of what was happening. He was aware that great vibrations where moving through the entire ship, shaking him and the others with unrelenting force. He was aware of the heat that was penetrating the bridge, the temperature had seemed to rise twenty or thirty degrees in just a minute. ” Jesus. ” Collins said, as he read the ships readings for himself. ” I'm going to have to land this bird manually. Everyone, hold on to your butts. ” Collins continued as he began to flip a series of switches on the console in from of him, his hands gravitating towards a singular joystick in the center of the console.
Gordon watched in silence as the commander moved the stick, feeling the sudden change in G-force suck him into his seat. The sensation increased, pulling his with more and more power, he felt his head fog and though he fought it as hard as he could suddenly everything went black.
— OOC Talk: —
1:32 pm February 7, 2017
Sanarian
Member
posts 115
18
Rin trembled when the ship violently rocked about as it began entry into Kish's atmosphere, the ensuing silence doing nothing to calm her nerves. Most of the conversation between the two went completely over her head; a lack of an in-depth knowledge of the ship, or an understanding of atmospheric re-entry, made sure of that. She did however take note of the tension in their voices, which was more than enough to for Rin to come to the conclusion that things were about to go very bad. As the situation deteriorated Rin felt her heart truly begin to hammer in her chest, the tension so thick in the air it was almost palpable. She couldn't help but fear this was how she would die: burnt to a crisp before she ever ever set foot upon the alien world that was their destination. All the same there was little she could do in the grand scheme of things, so she resigned herself to fate. Rin gave all her effort to tune out the chaos in an attempt to go to her happy place, though she met with little success between ship's savage vibrations and the panicked voices of the crew. “Go to my happy place.” Rin murmured to herself, repeating the phrase over an over in a desperate attempt to distract from the terror her reality had become. A heavy crash sent her stomach into a tight knot, but thankfully there wasn't anything left in her stomach to vomit up. When the feeling passed she was about to return to her attempts to deny reality, when a deafening crash echoed in her ears and the world faded to black.
A deafening ring hung heavy in Gordon's ears as he slowly opened his eyes to a blurred world, the sudden rush of his senses returning was disorienting and for several moments the man was not even sure what had happened or where he was. He could feel the warmth of sunlight on his face, a familiar feeling that he seemed to recall missing. As his vision cleared The scene around him and his last memories before blacking out rushed back. Gordon shot up, his head swiveling around, he was sitting in a pile of dirt his clothing ripped and sullied. A heavy smell of smoke and burning compounds charred his nostrils. Gordon turned around, feeling the ache of his body and the pull of gravity on it. The Bark Raleigh as no more, it's wreckage was tossed across a lush green clearing, fires raged through out and smoke was bellowing high into the sky. Gordon felt a sudden fear, of complete solitude as the weight of his situation settled in. He had been thrown from the ship as it crashed, he could be the only survivor on an alien planet. ” No! ” He suddenly yelled, as he cast off that assessment and started towards the wreckage determined to find the others, determined to find someone or something to make everything okay.
Login
Register
Search 
Forums
Topic RSS 
