By being seldom seen, I could not stir
But like a comet I was wondered at.
- Henry IV: Part 1, Act 3
But like a comet I was wondered at.
- Henry IV: Part 1, Act 3
The noise from the large crowd dimmed until the area was silent. Atop the podium, standing behind a Planetary Flag, the president of Caelus Tech Incorporated cleared his through; the sound, akin to the sound of nerves and anxiety, echoed throughout the arena. Before him, thousands upon thousands gathered to hear the speech that would solidify the future plans of Caelus Tech. In impatient silence the crowd waited for the man to begin talking.
'In the decades before you and I, through glass lenses, dreamers watched the midnight dance. Since before humankind could read, write, or talk we have gazed at the stars in awe. From there come our ancient gods and reside our heavens, far outside the reach of any man in history.' The President cleared his throat again and kept his eyes fixed on the crowd - not a single person was looking anywhere but him.
'When I, twenty-eight years ago to this day, founded Caelus Tech I swore to myself that the dark, unknown sea between here and the far reaches of our Solar System would one day bear the Planetary Flag; I swore to you all - the human race - that the waves of exploration will send manned spacecraft to orbits and surfaces only previously seen by robots. Footprints will cover the tire tracks of rovers; occupied orbital stations will decommission unmanned satellites; and the eyes of man will see what only remote cameras have captured. I do not intend to postpone these promises to you. Thirteen years is long enough, and today I pledge to act upon these promises.'
Clapping emerged from the crowd, but was cut short by the continuation of the speech, The President's voice gained momentum and volume and, atop the podium before the crowd, he spoke to the hearts of all listening.
'Twenty-eight years ago today I was a dreamer. My heart yearned for us to see the stars. I watched Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn glide across the sky and I pictured a rocket launching into the unknown. That is why, today, I stand before you with a promise. In the next year, you will see a manned rocket launched into space. In that rocket will be a team of astronauts destined for the moons of Jupiter. In that rocket-'
Before the president could finish his speech, the crowd stood as a whole and applauded loudly. Cheers and clapping filled the stadium in which they were gathered. The President, his face like that of a child looking into the sky, merely basked in awe at the crowd's response.
Setting
2047. Caelus Tech, a fairly new Space Program in the United States has gained momentum due to a long series of successful unmanned missions into outer space, including a mission which landed a rover on Ganymede. In a speech by the President of Caelus Tech, it was promised that the next mission was to send a manned mission to Jupiter and its moons. This is the story of that mission.
Important Notes
- The characters we will play are the astronauts on the Caelus Tech mission. The exact timeframe starts from around a few days before launch. Character details are up for the RPer playing them to decide (nationality, personality, skills, role, etc...)
- This is a realistic RP, in that everything in it is within the boundaries of possibility. As such, there are no superpowers, shapeshifters, etc...
- This RP will have what I call a 'plotmaster' - someone who decides critical events and when/how they take place. The plotmaster (most likely me) will be the person who provides external uncontrollable events for the characters to deal with. For instance, a component on the spacecraft might break.
Rules
- Posts must be at least a paragraph long. I appreciate that, in some situations, the RP does not allow for a long post and a paragraph is all that's needed. Please no lazy 1-sentence posts; they slow down the RP and add almost nothing.
- Please let me know if you want to leave/take a break from the RP. It's very disheartening when fellow RPers disappear without a trace!
- Please be dedicated to the RP. If you can't post regularly then perhaps this isn't for you.
Conclusion
I am happy to play this as a 1x1 or as a small group :) depends how much interest it gets!
The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it,
can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.
- Galileo Galilei, 1632
can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.
- Galileo Galilei, 1632
