[IC] No Turning Back - Into the Abyss

[Sep]

IC Summary

---

The Vitae sat in her dock, the sun glistening off her hull as the rain had just passed. She stretched out, her and her sisters larger than any ship humanity had ever constructed. Twelve arks side by side, steam pouring off as systems began to initialize. All around them people ran up and down catwalks, vehicles both on the ground and in the air whizzed around. The shipyard was a hive of activity, final checks had to be conducted and final boarding had to be completed. There was no margin for error, once these ships launched there was no landing until they reached their destinations out in the cosmos far away from Earth... or what was going to be left of it after the Devastators arrived. Inside the ships, things were not much quieter. People moved around the corridors with haste, some of them knew where they were going some of them were being directed on where to go. Others simply found somewhere to spend their last moments on Earth, having no immediate tasks that required their attention.

On the bridge voices spoke in hushed tones, officers paced behind others sitting at their stations. Every screen was busy, everyone was running some form of diagnostic or another. Occasionally an officer would pause to check someones screen before continuing on. While others mourned about what they were about to lose William Locke could not, the men and women under his command could not. He nodded to himself, feeling his chest fill with pride at how everyone was working away despite what was about to happen. He had been on this ship ever since there was a bed for him and systems for himself to familiarize and he had seen this crew come together from nothing. They truly were the best of the best.

---

"Excuse me Sir, but this all seems like a bit much." William put the folder down, as he raised his hand to rub his forehead, as if doing so would relieve some of the pressure that seemed to be building up in his brain after reading the folder. He cast his one good eye at it reading the title. Genesis Protocol. He put his hand down and looked up to face with Admiral Constantine, probably the most respected man in the human race for his heroics during the Three Day War. William had felt honoured simply to be in the mans presence, but all that had been shot down rather quickly by the severity of the situation. "You're meaning to tell me, that we're going to abandon... well. Everything?" The Admiral just nodded. "That's insane!"

Constantine pulled out another slip of paper, William recognized it as the screen of deep space scanners. "Take a look at what we're up against Locke, that fleet is far bigger than the one we faced in the Three Day War. We were lucky as it is to still be here, if we hadn't pulled our thumb out our collective asses we wouldn't be. Genesis Protocol is a last ditch effort, the best and brightest to keep Humanity going if we lose the fight." He slid the folder full of details on the protocol back over to Williams side of the table. "You're one of these people, I've read your record. You've held your own in a ship far smaller, with a crew far less skilled. You had a ship not equipped for full out combat and you flew it into the fray anyway during the Three Day War and inflicted some serious damage. You're the kind of person we need for this project. Not some old codger like me, you can be self reliant and find these people a new home."

William pulled the folder over and off the table again, he wasn't happy about this. Not terribly, he could already feel the burden being placed on his shoulders. Though he couldn't exactly say no. "When do I start sir?"

"There's a shuttle waiting on the roof waiting to take you to Africa. She's not much of a ship yet but you'll be able to get yourself situated and get a feel for it. We have teams working on the selection process but I'll have the dossiers of all the officers and heads of department sent to you for approval. You're going to need to work together for a long time. Though before you leave, while you have all the files you need I need to talk to you about one more thing." He pressed a button on the table and all the power in the room cut off, that had William on edge. He was used to working with secret intelligence, it's what he was trained for after all. Though this was already a highly classified briefing, it didn't get anymore serious than that did it? "I need to talk to you about another protocol, this ones called Exodus..."

---

William turned to look at the 3D hologram being displayed above the table, it was one of the best things about a command centre as large as this. While he really needed to yell, or use comms, to reach people at their stations it was made up for by having this. He could display real time 3D images of any theatre of combat, the ship itself, anything being picked up on by the ships sensors and even select areas of the ships interior such as the hub. Right now it displayed Mars and her orbit, the fleet of ships from all four factions sat in orbit. He could faintly see the shape of the Judicator, Admiral Constantines flagship. It wasn't quite as impressive as an Ark but it was deadlier. He couldn't help but wonder if the efforts of humanity had been put into building more ships like that, if they'd need to abandon the solar system.

Though in the end, Constantine was right. There was no way they were going to win this battle and even if they did, there'd be more Devastators right behind them. There were theories behind who or what the Devastators were, some argued they were just bio-machinery on autopilot and others argued that they wanted to take the solar system for resources. William didn't care which it was, all he knew is that if he were to ever find their homeworld he'd turn it to slag. Or at least he would have if the ship he was commanding wasn't a glorified oversized lifeboat. He tapped his earpiece with his right hand, as he typed into the console onfront of him with his left putting him through to all of the officers walking around the bridge. "Final systems check, all stations prepare yourself for liftoff."

---

The ship was impressive, and half of the paneling on the hull hadn't been finished yet. Sparks flew around the hallway as he walked, people didn't pay any attention to his presence. Good, these people obviously understood the importance of their jobs. They were here with a limited timeframe, and were here to get a job done not suck up to someone with rank. He stepped over some loose wiring until he came into what was destined to become the command centre. The main doorway opened onto a raised platform with catwalks branching off to the right and the left encircling the room, on the lower deck among all the different stations there was the large holographic table and on the far well a plethora of screens. The holographic table was already lit up, he smiled as he walked down. Again he ignored the people who were crouched beneath computer screens playing with the wiring. They had jobs to do, he had his to do.

Standing before the table he keyed in his command code. The blue hologram appeared before him, it was rather disconcerting to see it have the outline of a man however there was no definition, as if it hadn't fully rendered. Obviously whoever had constructed the A.I. was going for function over looks. "Rear Admiral William Locke, Martian Navy. Verified. How can I help you today Admiral?" On the bright side no matter how tough things were going to get, he'd always have a computer program to talk to.

"Noah, give me a full status of the Arks current condition." At least whoever named the A.I. had a sense of humour, though that being said the amount of biblical names regarding this project was ridiculous. Then again it was the end of the world after all, you could probably cut them a little slack.

"Construction is well underway, we should be completed on schedule. One engine remains to be attached and the once the reactor has been fully installed the Ark will become self sufficient and will no longer need to run power through the shipyard. I anticipate a mere zero-point-five percent possibility that the Vitae will not be ready for take off when the Protocol is enacted, going on the assumed timelines on when the Devastators will arrive. Is there anything else I can help you with today?" Okay, maybe not so humorous. At least he was practical, and honest.

"Yes, I want you to give me a full run down on the Arks planned capabilities, and everything else that's in her design plan. I want to know as much about this Ark as you do."

---

William turned his head to the wall full of screens, each screen designated to a different part of ships systems. Even Security had a screen and a checklist they had to go through, even though they had no command presence on the bridge. As stations began to check in green began to move across the board, he smiled that at least that was one thing that was considered standardized across all the different factions military. There was a hum through the ship, and he could feel it in his body slightly as the Vitae reacted to the commands giving to her. He was sure that it was more than likely psychological but this was her truly coming to life, she was ready to leave the ground for the first and hopefully the last time.

He turned keying commands into his own station, changing who his radio passed him through to. "Tactical, Navigation. Begin plotting our course to the eye. Helm, bring the engines online and standby for docking clamps to retract." He took a deep breath, this was it. There was a real hum as the engines came online, normally he'd be used to the feeling when being on a ship however the engines of the Vitae had only been on three times to test functionality and had then remained offline until now. It felt good, and no doubt the next time he stepped on solid ground it'd feel weird without it. "Noah, give me ship wide."

"Yes Admiral." The voice came out of, basically no-where. It had taken getting used to that Noah was essentially everywhere all at once.

There was a buzz throughout the ship indicating that there was about to be an announcement to the whole ship, he took a deep breath before he started. This was all part of the territory now. "This is Admiral Locke. I know, that many of you are still in mourning. For those that you have left behind, those that we are leaving behind. I know it feels like we are abandoning Earth, Mars and all the Armani colonies to a grim fate. However I have faith, in all of you. You were hand picked to become members of this crew, you are humanities best and humanities brightest. We all know that the threat we face is large, that we are venturing into the unknown. I can say with absolute certainly that I have up-most faith in this crew and it's capabilities, working together we have done what is individually impossible and I know that together we can find a new home for humanity."

He paused, to let the severity of the task sink in. "I know, that this task is great. No doubt the road will be long, but look to those beside you. Your friends, your family and your comrades. We will not let this tragedy be forgotten, we will not let this be the last chapter in humanity. We will remain unbroken as we forge new life in the stars, of this I have no doubt. While there can be No Turning Back know this, that we take the legacy of the colonies with us. The future of our race, one day our children and our great grandchildren will talk about this voyage with awe, we are legends." He cleared his throat. "All stations, prepare for lift-off."

As he cut the feed there was a brief murmur of agreement, and even a little applause throughout the command centre. He chuckled slightly. "Alright, alright. Get back to work. We've got the unknown to venture into."

[RedLeather]

"All stations, prepare for lift-off." Erik sighed as the Admiral's message clicked off. He closed the book on the evolution of an independent Finnish language he was reading, and rose to his feet. He set the book on the table and wandered over to the "window" which was currently turned off. He knew it wasn't actually a window, as he was fairly sure his room was somewhere near the center of the ship. He paused a moment, trying to remember which language the AI responded to quickest. He was fairly sure both Russian and English would elicit a response, but he had been using his English too much recently with all these people around.

"Computer," he said in Russian, pleased that he was able to practice it a bit.

"Hello, Mr. Karlson. What can I do for you?" the voice sounded out of the walls. Erik was glad the blue man didn't appear, it made him uncomfortable to see something so human, but at the same time not.

"I need two things," Erik said, rapping on the window "First, show me outside feed, as if my window were actually on the outside of the ship." Noah made a remark to the affirmative, and the window blinked to life. The view showed mostly the shipyard in the Sahara, and Erik could see the swirling sands out beyond the equipment. Erik looked for a moment, and then decided he wanted to try something. He spoke again, this time in Polish. "Second, I want you to run radio news feeds out of New York, what's left of Moscow, and Sydney. Start with New York."

The Computer paused a moment, then responded in Polish, "Certainly Mr. Karlson. For your own convenience, please try not to switch languages mid-request, as it will slow down my ability to respond." Erik grinned. Day one and he had already pissed off the computer. The radio feed started. The New York and Sydney frequencies said essentially the same thing, that everyone should hide, and be prepared for whatever the Devastators were going to do to Earth. People should get to their basements or air raid shelters as soon as possible. Do not panic. Blah blah blah. The Moscow radio was business as usual. Since the city was already such a disaster, there was no point exciting the locals. The radio was giving the weather when Erik was listening, and he quickly had it shut off.

He spoke again, this time in Croatian, just because he could, "Noah, that's enough of the radio. Put on some Tchaikovsky, the show is about to start." He sighed and dismissed the AI. He muttered to himself, in his native Scandinavian "Farvel, gammel ven."

[vietmyke]

As the Vitae sat in her cradle, its hull shining, and ports pumping out steam, its surrounding dock- a massive installation in the middle of the desert was a hub of activity. Even in the intense heat of the Sahara desert, work continued as usual. The catwalks were especially crowded as the last of the non-essential personnel and civilians began boarding- all the non cryo-genically frozen ones anyway, they were already placed into the massive cryogenic bays inside the arks. The perimeter and entrances to each Ark were guarded judicially, armed guards ensuring that only people that were supposed to be on the Arks boarded, not that many people had the starch to cross the Sahara desert, much less break into a guarded military installation.

The interior of the Vitae was a structured shit-show, civilians milled around, mourning their leaving of home, and blue-uniformed security guards tried to make sure the traffic flow kept working, all the while the crew scrambled past them trying to make sure everything was okay and that the ship wouldn't crash and burn on lift-off. A big ship like this required a considerable amount of fuel and energy to propel into space, and they couldn't afford to refuel a ship if a take-off didn't work, not without jeopardizing the rest of the fleet- which was why many Armani suggested building the ships in space.

Noticeable in the crowds of civilian clothes, military fatigues, and crew worksuits were the body-contouring jumpsuits of the Vitae's strikecraft pilots, the otherwise slimming gray suits was offset by the bulk of the EVA harnesses that several of them wore over their torsos, legs and feet. The pilots were in various states of dress- some wore their helmets with the visors open, while others hugged them to their sides. The pilots traveled in grouped clumps, their metal-clad boots clanking throughout the ship corridors as the jogged in the direction of the Vitae's hangars.

"Lieutenant Hawkins, please prepare your personnel for lift-off." Came the voice of the Ship's AI, Noah, through the internal speakers of Sara's flight helmet, which hung off the finger of her index and middle finger, slung over her shoulder. The back of the helmet had 'Twitch' printed in small letters just above the neck, while the back of her retro-styled bomber jacket displayed her actual last name. Standing in at 5'5", a combination of the slimming jumpsuit and her short height made her almost disappear in the sea of tall military men and crew members.

"I'm well aware Noah, I just need these bastards to get the hell out of my way." Sara growled as she roughly shoved her way past crew and civilians, using the bulk of her duffel bag to complete what her smaller frame could not. The Vitae's hangar bays were a small work of technical marvel. A wide central walkway and catwalks, leading to individual cells for each squadron fighter, and a small engineering crew for each machine. When needed, one of many moving arms would pick up individual fighters and move them to one of the 14 launch catapults to deploy from the ship- the same equipment would be used to return fighters to their ship. The Alert 5 fighters were already positioned at several of the ramps in case the Vitae needed defense after launch. At the center of the main walkway, suspended over much of the hangar were the squadron lockers, and rec room. Across the floor, engineering personnel walked around busily, carts with people and equipment drove by, and loud machine arms moved around as the hangar made moves to prepare itself for the ship's first combat inspection.

With Sara's Smart-Vision enabled, she could easily find her squadron members in the sea of gray jumpsuits, names and basic dossier information of anyone she looked at popping up as her eyes passed over them. Picking out the rest of the 7th 'Grave Robbers', exchanging some friendly rivalry with one of the other squadrons. Her squadron noticed her immediately as she approached- of the Vitae's modest air corps, Sara was one of 20 female pilots, and one of three female squadron leaders, and gave her an assortment of lazy salutes, chrome arms flashing, to which she dismissed. She wasn't much for formalities in situations involving other pilots and military personnel, and only pulled rank when sufficiently annoyed.

Like Sara, most of her squadron- and most of the air-corps for that matter- were Armani. The Armani was as native to space as a human could get, which naturally lended itself to tasks involving space and traveling through it. While much of the Arman fleet had been decimated during the 3 Day War, the remnants of Armani had built themselves a new generation of spacefaring warriors, and their best and brightest were sent to the Arks to protect the ships in ways only the Armani could. As such, the hangar bays had the largest percentage of chromed and aug-ed out individuals. For Armani, augmentation and improvement was a culture, and several of Sara's squadron members proudly displayed their cybernetic augments.

"Hawkins!" one of her own pilots called out, walking over to greet the squadron leader. "Its about time we finally got off this damn desert, huh?" the pilot said, holding out his hand. The pilot was young and fresh faced, much like Sara; but also like Sara, the pin on his jacket marked him as a veteran, and his Smart-Vision dossier identified him as Loch.

"Loch," Sara greeted him as she clapped the pilot's hand in a friendly manner, "Looks like you boys are getting along rather well." she said with a nod to the pilots of 3rd Squadron.

Ryan 'Nessie' Loch was Sara's subleader, and was very much her foil. Whereas she was hot headed and dynamic, he was calming and sometimes unbearably logical. Any further conversation between the two pilots however was cut off as Admiral Locke appeared over the shipwide speakers, and began a short speech. It was one part curt, one part inspiring, and the pilots in the hangar gave the Martian commander a general murmur of approval.

With the Admiral's speech over, Sara waved her hands around and a general circular motion to the rest of her squadron. "Okay boys, you heard the Admiral, prepare for lift-off. EVA Harnesses on and all pilots on standby in the next 5 minutes, go!"

With that, the squadron broke, some heading towards their strike craft, Sara and others heading towards the locker room, where the EVA harnesses were stored.

[Xandrya]

"So, I think you're all set--"

beep beep...beep beep

"One second," Melanie begged, somewhat annoyed that her session kept getting interrupted. "This is Larson."

"Doctor Larson, hi. It's Lydia. I know I'm not scheduled to see you today but I was wondering if we could talk?"

"I--Yeah, sure. Are you available to come see me now? I'm just about done with my last scheduled appointment."

"Actually, Jeff and I are going to go grab some food but I can stop by after that."

"Oh. Well, sure, I guess I can do the same and then we'll both meet here."

"Perfect. Thank you very much!"

Melanie said her goodbyes and smiled at her patient. "Again, sorry about that. But like I was saying, ideally, we'd continue to see each other no less than once per week, just let me know what works best for you."

"Thank you, Doctor Larson." Carl slowly got up, his hand visibly trembling as he reached across the desk to shake hers. Melanie's heart nearly broke in two. It was rare for her to see elderly patients, much less one who would constantly remind her of her deceased father. Regardless of whatever ethics code she was violating, not that it mattered aboard the ship anyway, Melanie couldn't help but take care of Carl as if he were her own grandfather.

"No, we agreed on Melanie, remember?" she rushed to the door to hold it open for Carl, the man not being nearly as fast as her because his bones wouldn't let him. That, and it's hard to move at a quick pace with a cane. When he reached the door, Melanie gave him a quick hug. His sad eyes got to her every time, and it was made worse by the fact that she was probably the only person aboard the ship who knew about his troubled past as well as his current problems. "Take care now, and I'll see you again soon."

Once Carl was gone, Melanie hurried inside to quickly reorganize her office. Pick up some papers, put them away, rearrange the furniture a little bit and...done. She then turned off the light by the door before walking out, hoping no one else would recognize her and think she was taking appointments. The only reason she was working through the launch was because of Carl. He couldn't care less about such event, not after what he's lived through and has had to endure throughout his years, and Melanie was more than happy to help him in any way, shape, or form. But only him, he was the one exception.

Hurrying along, Melanie decided to skip the view in order to get some food before her next and last appointment. If she had time, maybe grab a drink as well.

[Rawk]

The crisp air passed through the vents along the top of the wall, cooling his forehead and chest as he wiped the sweat from his brow before planting both hands firmly onto the floor to continue another set of pushups. This was the norm for Gavon, early morning workouts to prepare his mind and body for the day ahead, followed by several small meals of various nutritional qualities, both solids and liquids, to help sustain enough energy for a good ten to twelve hour shift if necessary. Physically, he’d never felt better in his life, and he knew this particular day would be taxing enough on him and his team. But mentally, he had his doubts about the ship itself, it’s technology, and the AI that seemed to control everything around them. Space travel was relatively new to him, and adjusting to that type of environment took years for some, but nevertheless, he had to put away the past concerns and anxieties that crept into his mind, focusing on the here and now.

“Still thinking about today’s launch, eh Gav?”

Natalie rubbed the sleep from her eyes and rolled to one side, propping her head up with an arm while focusing on her husband across the room as he mentally counted his repetitions.

“It’s this bloody artificial heart they stuck in my chest, damn thing is probably malfunctioning.”

“Well...you seemed to be functioning pretty damn well last night, cowboy.” She shot him a mocking wink. “And multiple times at that.”

Gavon snorted, throwing off his pushup count, as he changed positions to sit with his back against the wall, towel drying his forehead, chest, and arms.

“‘Cowboy’. Why do you insist on calling me that?”

“Because I know it annoys you.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone, reaching for the half empty bottle of water on the small nightstand and finishing it off before sitting up on the edge of the bed to pull a long tank top over her small naked frame.

“You and your American bred humor...” He said, shaking his head trying to hide a smirk behind the towel.

“I thought that was the reason you married me?” She quickly grabbed her pillow and playfully tossed it at him, which he caught in the air, and placed between his head and wall.

He never quite felt like he deserved a woman like Natalie, and would have never imagined in a thousand lifetimes that she would ever want a guy like him. But, as fate had it, they were a perfect mix of calm and chaos, and after almost ten years of marriage, seemed equally inseparable. She was slightly shorter than he, a tall and lean woman standing just under six feet, with cropped reddish-brown hair, olive skin, light freckled cheeks, and green piercing eyes that could stare any man down. He owed her a lot, probably more than he could ever repay, but she was never in it expecting reciprocation. She loved Gavon because he was real, warts and all.

“Gav, look…” Natalie walked over and knelt down next to him, her expression taking on a more serious form. “Don’t let your past experiences dissuade you from what the Ark has to offer. And the technology on board is top-notch.”

“I’m not ‘dissuaded’, Nat, it’s just...these were the same devices -exact make and model even- that The Brotherhood were smuggling and selling to lowlife scum who didn’t deserve it, and now I have one of these infernal things in my body, probably ready to short out at any minute and kill me on the spot.”

She let out a long sigh. “Your dramatic ‘techno-paranoia’ aside, it was what they had on hand at the time and it saved your life Gavon, try not to forget that.”

“No. You saved my life.”

The months that passed since he was transported onto the Vitae for emergency heart replacement, leading up to launch day, Gavon spent countless hours in physical therapy and on-the-job training, taking on mental exercises, additional combat exercises, and attending classes held by the Security & Investigation Division. He eventually adapted the role as Chief of Security, restructuring and streamlining a few of the processes, and implementing additional security measures throughout the Ark. His greatest struggle, oddly enough, was warming up to the Ark’s artificial intelligence entity, NO4H, considering he’d always put his faith in human comrades rather than a machine. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t like the AI, but rather he didn’t trust it to a degree. However, NO4H had also proven to be an invaluable asset and he really didn’t think that the bastard would be going away any time soon.

Admiral Locke’s voice echoed over the internal and external comms system, giving a speech that he hoped would raise the morale of a crew who were about to head on a journey that most could only imagine, and many feared as well.

“All stations prepare for lift off”

That was Gavon’s queue as he clicked on the communicator for all of his Agents throughout the Ark.

“Alright team you heard the Admiral, it's go time.”

[Draken]

On such an important day, Karen Anderson was wearing, of all things, an orange frock. Also on such an important day, she was taking a walk among the sycamore trees. Eden, the forest was called, and it was her little domain aboard the Vitae, the massive ship designed to ferry ten thousand people and a logistically staggering five hundred thousand cold, but not dead, bodies. Karen, thankfully, did not have to worry about the nightmares of freezing five hundred thousand people alive (and then unfreezing them alive and healthy some infinitely arbitrary time later). Instead, she had the more actively demanding task, and far less predictable one, of keeping a tiny ecosystem alive, healthy, balanced, and, worst of all, capable of being trampled by up to approximately two thousand people a day who had literally nowhere else to go where they could witness nature. At all.

She had a sneaking suspicion that her work would go underappreciated.

Instead, what had netted her the privilege of surviving the destruction of the Earth, and almost all multicellular life upon it, was her experience in Xenobiology. The study of alien life, as it was, had very few "experts" in the field and, despite apparently warranting the top twelve (one for each Ark), Karen felt woefully under prepared to answer any questions about the Devastators that could be conceived as useful to a military officer. Where does one even start when trying to explain the most likely and prominent hypotheses of how plasma is propelled at terminal velocity from what essentially is a geometric space whale covered by a complete seal of what she had once heard phrased as "chitin on steroids."

Chitin was, of course, wildly inaccurate since these things did not use glucose for energy storage at the molecular level.

Karen's reflections and internal rantings were cut off by the voice of the Admiral. Even half a kilometer away from the Hub itself, in the deepest part of Eden, there were speakers tucked away to make critical announcements, and a stand in the center of it all, surrounded by metal benches, where a cylindrical screen could be used by the bridge or Noah could present themselves. There were cameras too, but those were truly everywhere, at least so far as she had ever had clearance for. That's how she was in Eden now. Since she essentially ran the place, she had the uncommon privilege of unlimited access. Well, technically she was working, but unlike most of the others, her work did not require her to attentively stand guard or actively clean litter and the like.

The announcement was over now, with Karen having accidentally tuned out most of it. "Shoot, ten minutes or five? Ten or five? Ten... Or five..." She muttered to herself, trying to recall what the Admiral had just said. With a sigh, she started moving out towards her quarters. Anyone not needed for a launching function was supposed to be in the quarters between liftoff and finishing transit via the Eye of Theia. Besides that, Karen, who had never actually been into space, ironically for a xenobiologist, was nervous that even young tree branches such as these my crack, snap, and cause serious injury. Thankfully her quarters weren't too far. Directly adjacent to the Hub, in fact, since that was "closest" to her workplace.

Karen Anderson tried to convince herself that the terrible feeling in her gut was just in anticipation of future noise complaints she may have living so close to the commercial center.

[boomlover]

---

Humanity had once been a feeble seed slowly growing in the safe confines of Sol. slowly spreading it's rooted outward. Becoming a strong tree. But now the tree was burning. Its root's being burned, it's leaves ripped off. But It would not mean the end of the tree's life. It had small seeds that would spread towards the new destination to once again grow strong and mighty. But how many of these seeds would even reach their destinations? Being snatched mid travel by whatever was out there. This and more Theodore pondered as he checked the controls of the ship. He had been extremely nervous this entire time. Rechecking again and again if everything was running smoothly which it of course did. He knew every part of his controls. To the smallest button to the biggest of screens. And yet he wondered if everything would go alright. If they would even survive the travel through the warp gate. So many questions and yet not a single answer could be given to any of them. He looked around the bridge everyone looking at their control panels with all the concentration they could muster. For a moment Theodore looked blankly across the bridge looking at the human machine that worked in perfect unity. That was until he felt a quick tap on his left shoulder. He looked to his left looking at navigator Leroy Jenkins who looked at him with curious eyes. Apparently, Theodore had been staring around the bridge long enough that it started to look awkward. Theodore gave Leroy a reassuring look. Leroy simply gave a quick nod and went back to his work. Theodore was, of course, scared as all hell considering he was in charge of flying 510.000 people towards a safe destination. If they would ever find one that is. But now he had to swallow his fear somewhere deep inside him. He would release it later in his quarters while drinking some of the last scotch that would ever be made. He had to make sure to only use the small shot glasses while using the actual drinking glasses for harder times. He then heard the voice of the admiral giving a speech towards the rest of the crew. It wasn't the best speech he had ever heard. but it would have to do. The rear admiral then looked at him nodding to start up the main drive.

---

---

It was night aboard the Vitae. And most of its occupants were asleep. Beside Theodore who couldn't even close his eyes. He decided to wander the halls a bit taking a small glass of Whiskey with him. Something to calm the nerves and to maybe make him a bit more tired. For an hour he walked the silent and lowly lit corridors of the ship seeing no one. He took a small sip from his drink the liquid warming up his belly and giving him a relaxed feeling. He had made sure not to pick up the entire bottle as that would have caused some problems if any of the crew members who could have seen him reported seeing the pilot walking around at night with a bottle of Whiskey.But the more he drank from the small glass the more he started to feel bad for himself. Why was he chosen to fly this ship? Why was he cursed by seeing the rest of humanity die? How could he enjoy his own life if the lives of so many others were about to end like millions of candles? He took a big sip only making the feeling worse. And slowly walked towards one of the observation platforms of the ship. He took a seat and looked at the planet in front of him. Pondering how chaotic it would have been down there. He had heard that a part of the population was heavily rioting. Theodore would have probably joined those rioters in all honestly. Or he would have drowned himself in beer. He most likely would have drowned himself in beer. He looked at the glass with a mix of longing and hatred. He Hated and yet loved the substance with a passion. He knew that with every drink he took he would only damage himself slowly. But at the other side of view, it also kept back the horrible memories. In a fit of rage he threw the glass against the wall it contents flying everywhere and the glass shattering into pieces. He looked at it for a moment before standing up and walking away. He wondered if the AI had been looking at him the entire time. But in all honesty, he couldn't care less.

---

Theodore nodded back towards the admiral and turned back to his controls. He started to type in the procedures that were needed and quickly all light went green as the drive spun to live and a low hum of the engine could be heard. His flight path had already been made available to him. He was I'm pressed by how tactically the layout was with exiting strategies and the like. Whoever made this flight path sure ass hell knew what he or she was doing. As he wondered this he could hear the icy voice of the tactical officer informing the Admiral of a tactical report.

"Main drives are online sir. Awaiting your command for liftoff." His voice sounded almost as emotionless and icy as the of Lee. But then again this was the military after all and it was to be expected to be as a cold and calculating as a machine. In all honesty, he was more interested in the admiral's eye patch that anything. Any why he didn't put a normal eye in it like any normal person would. "But to each his own." He thought to himself as he turned around to his controls. To each his goddamn own."

[Heat]

The Admiral had given a rousing, yet cautious speech, all systems were a-go. Towards the back of the main scientific laboratory on the Vitae, a grey haired man in a white lab coat rose up from his seat. Wrinkles had begun to manifest on his fair colored skin, he was no longer a young man, and he know that as he tried not to get out of the chair too soon. Dr. Ethan Phillips carefully adjusted his thick framed eyeglasses then started to walk towards the opposite side of the lab.

It was time.

Determination and nervousness were the only two conflicting emotions he felt as he walked down a hallway away from the main lab. His loafers clanked against the metallic floor as he walked calmly towards a thick metal door at the end of the well lit hallway. On one side of it was a hand-print scanner. Phillip's was alone as he approached the scanner and pressed a hand to it.

The other scientists stationed in the lab had no part in directing the ship, their job right now was to prep their stations for the many hours of research and work they were certain to be doing on the voyage. They paid no mind to Phillips as he left the room, he was highly respected by many on the ship. Some small talk was made around the laboratory as they all tried to alleviate the tension, there was always a chance that something could go terribly wrong. The ship could tear in half mid jump or they end up sucked into a black hole. It was best just not to go along with that line of thinking. Always correct to think happy thoughts.

Down the hallway the elder scientist entered through the thick metallic door as it came open with a beep, as quickly as it opened it shut behind him. His current task was semi-secretive. Perhaps a dozen on vessel knew of it. Secrecy was not inherently bad, they approached every situation with caution, this one was no different. It would be best for everyone if the general public was unaware of what was going on. Phillips was certain they'd all find out, in time when it was right.

The lone scientist found himself in another room, it appeared to be just a place where cargo was kept. Cases of supplies were stacked around, some labeled with warning stickers. A rack of scientific equipment was on one side, across from that was a different sight. A thick metal case, propped up against a wall. It was easily large enough to fit a person. The front was made of a light blue glass, thought it was currently fogged and obscured sight of what might be inside of it. Phillips approached it then stood directly i nfront. He flicked a switch on the side of it then a compact computer screen flipped upwards. Displayed on the screen was a password lock. Phillips entered in the ten digit code with precision, then with a beep the display changed to text.

"Are you sure that you wish to activate unit MHSA276012?"

Phillip's let out a deep breath, then pressed the screen, unsealing the casket. The front of the container slid to the side, as gas seeped out of it. Phillips waved away the smoke as he gazed upon what was inside. A human, no, a synthetic being, an android designed to appear perfectly human. Pale white skin, medium length brown hair, currently shut eyes of blue. Its facial features were utterly masculine, every little detail had been perfected. Cables ran from the inside of the case, locked onto sections of the android. This synthetic man was utterly indistinguishable from a 'real' man. Unit MHSA276012 or more simply, Michael, was a convincing creation.

Once the container opened completely one of the cables shimmered as it sent an electric shock right into the back of the android's head. A signal. It was time for him to awaken. Life flickered into Michael, at first it came in the form of code which moved far faster than any human could comprehend. Then his synthetic eyes saw what the world around him looked like. They adjusted perfectly to the light, on the android's vision a heads up display appeared. In one corner the temperature was indicated, a comfortable 70°. As he took his first stare forward at Dr. Phillips he flashed through his databanks in a millisecond, perhaps less. He had just read the man's entire biography. Phillips was one of his leading creators, the man pushed for his creation at every opportunity. The scientist was the only one of his makers present, Michael briefly wondered where the others were, but his files gave him no information in this regard.

His creators had implanted many gifts inside of him, historical archives which stretched back to the stare of recorded history. Scientific data accumulated from every known point in human history. His creators had left room for even more, if they wished then he could be programmed beyond current capacity. Michael would add to these archives himself, on his journey aboard the Vitae. He had an interest in going through his archives in extreme depth after his diagnostics check, but that would wait.

His mouth opened as it displayed perfectly white teeth, teeth that he did not even need as he did not eat food. He then inhaled deeply, air in which he did not need to breath. 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.03% carbon dioxide. The perfect mixture for a human being. The bland scent of the lab went up his nostrils, the faint stench of contained chemicals in the room, Dr. Phillip's deodorant, the last bit of smoke dissipating that had filled his chamber. Then the synthetic man moved each of his limbs, as he twirled his fingers he could feel the machinery hard at work underneath his false skin. The first true sense of wonder and curiosity triggered in the machine man's mind.

He stared at both of his hands, felt the soft skin that had been laid over the complex wiring and machinery that composed his innards. Tiny fake hairs were spread across his limbs, the false impression of veins were present as well. Though no blood pumped through them. He curled his fingers and stared at them, fingernails that never grow, as he closed his eyes manipulated his wrist and moved it around. Then he delicately ran his right hand across his cheek, tracing down his jawline to his lips. More of his fingers stroked one his eyebrows, the hairs returning to form as he grazed them. The entire time Michael was doing this he had stopped paying attention the elder scientist. Phillips watched the scene with amusement, a slight grin had come onto his face as Michael's childlike wonder. He spoke in his usual gruff tone, with a hint of tenderness as he spoke to the new man.

"Come on Michael, we have work to do, my friend. You have a lot to see and learn." Phillips said as he crossed his arms and locked eyes with the android. Michael returned the gaze with more curiosity, as he processed the words. Work...Friend...Learn...

"Of course, Dr. Phillips, my deepest apologies. This is the first time I've been activated. I look so, human." Michael replied, his words backed with an almost overwhelming amount of politeness and innocence. He then brought both of his hands upwards and gripped the sides of his container tightly. With another movement he hoisted himself out of where he had been stored. Then for the first time the android set his feet on actual ground. His first steps were precise and accurate. He needed no adjusting in that regard.

"No need to apologize." Phillips said with a reassuring smile as he looked over the synthetic man. Michael was clad in a dark blue jumpsuit, his name was imprinted on one side of the jumpsuit. On his feet were a set of black boots, they had placed him into his container already all dressed up.

"I understand. I shall do as you request, Dr. Phillips." Michael answered with a friendly smile. The scientist then lead his creation out of the small room, and back towards the laboratory. There was now even more to do than before.

[Rawk]

[ Security Central - Prelaunch ]

The Ark was in it’s preparation stages for launch, and Gavon was as ready as he could be for the first lift. He’d flown plenty during his tour with the Relief Convoys, but never outside the planet’s atmosphere, and certainly not into deep space. The thought of an airless environment outside of the ship left an unsettling feeling for sure, but no doubt, just like anything he’d encountered throughout his life, there were going to be drastic adjustments made. Even training in Zero-G simulators weren’t enough compared to the real thing, but then again adapting to any situation is one of his strong points.

“Follow the protocol from this morning’s meeting.” Gavon continued his instructions over the comms. “Four teams of two Agents assigned to each deck’s quadrant. And keep it low profile, just a routine sweep of the main corridors, branching hallways, etc as discussed. Squad leaders, keep a check-in with Central every two minutes. Rally point will be the Hub for all Agents not assigned to posts along the corridors.”

Gavon stood behind a seated Natalie, as she pulled up various camera feeds throughout sections of the Ark, accessing entry logs in restricted areas, and streaming data that went much too fast for the Chief to follow.

“Glad you’re the one having to stare at all that mess.” He mused, nudging her in the shoulder.

“It’s not a ‘mess’, Gav” She said, continuing to key in several cypher codes. “Think of it like I’m conducting a symphony and every instrument, every tool, has it’s place in the grand scheme of the composition.”

“So now you’re a composer?”

“In a way.” She snickered. “Besides, your neanderthal head and biceps are better used for bashing things, yeah?”

“I suppose.” He shrugged, catching something on one of the monitors and leaning closer for a better look. “Oh for cryin’ out loud...”

“I need two Agents closest to sector 8-F to break up a meeting currently being held in Storage Unit 5.”

“Copy that Chief, we’re on it.”

Natalie shook her head as she continued her work, trying to hide the smile forming across her face. “Really Gavon? You call two teenagers making out in the storage unit a ‘meeting’? ”

“Hey, you know that subtlety isn’t my thing, but I don’t need the team distracted right now. And you know as well as I do that all personnel need to be secured in authorized areas.”

She looked over at the security feed from the high angled camera in the storage unit. The adolescent couple, embraced in each other’s arms as though nothing in the universe was going to happen, seemed happy at least for the moment. Natalie sighed as she half-smiled, musing of younger and simpler times, where responsibility wasn’t first and foremost, and every decision wasn’t a matter of life or death. The world had it’s problems, it’s wars, famines, hunger, and death. But dreams seemed to hold it all together, dreams of a better life, a home, a family. She snapped herself out of the wishful thinking, turning attention back to her work.

“Did you ever think about what we’ll find out there in the unknown, Gav?”

After a moment, with no answer to her somewhat rhetorical question, she turned to realize that the Chief was gone from the room. And taking a deep breath, she went back to pulling up various records and logs, hoping that the launch would prove a success...for everyone’s sake.

[Sep]

Loretta sat at the console, scrolling through the people that there was in storage. Occasionally she'd pause at a face and look at how calm and peaceful they looked. They could truly be asleep, if she swiped her hand on the right hand side of the screen the persons whole identity came up before her. At least the parts she was allowed to know, from birth date to any medical conditions they may have had before they were frozen. At the bottom of the screen their current core temperature and status appeared, not that she really needed to check it. The moment someones vitals changed she got an alert directly too her and her team. The rest of her time revolved around simple maintenance, the sole reason she had spent time learning the skills needed to be a medical doctor. She wasn't a surgeon by any regards but she could broken bones, cuts, head injuries and illnesses. Hopefully they wouldn't experience many other problems on their voyage into the depths of space, ironically unlike a large percentage of the crew she was somewhat looking forward to the actual take off.

Yes the moment the ship left the ground humanities destruction was all but confirmed, but she missed being in space. Ever since the Three Day War she had spent far too much time on a planets surface. Though with the fact that her home was destroyed, it wasn't that surprising that she had spent so long on a planet. The Ark itself was her home now, there were no doubts about that. She had spent more time than nayone down in the cryogenic vault preparing it, improving it and eventually packing people away into storage. She had seen more crying mothers, fathers, daughters and sons than she ever cared to see again. It still tore her heart that her family were up there, in the fleet 'defending' Mars. She could hardly blame them, they were always stubborn. It's where she got it from, they were born in space and they'd die in space. They weren't ones to shy away from a fight when work needed to be done.

Why did they need to be so... She controlled herself, having herself feel this way wasn't going to help anyone. She had a job to do and she was going to do it. As the PA came on she listened to the Admirals speech and just nodded, if she had the weight of the well... Ark on her shoulders he had it worse. She had to look after all the 500,000 souls in cryo-stasis yes. Though he had to look after all of them, and all those that were awake.

She did not envy him.

[LegionPothIX]

The personal quarters of the Viate's Chief Engineer seemed more cramped than usual as its occupant waded through several half-finished projects, cables, and inoperable consoles. After sliding his lab coat over his uniform, SFC Calhound stepped into the corridor. On his shoulders rested a pair of headphones whose song was still loud enough to hear. As he marched toward Main Engineering, each footfall fell in time the base.

Tunes~

His glasses flickered momentarily as they finished booting up, and with the flicker a map of the ship flashed in view to guide him on his way. As he walked the corridors he felt lighter than when he walked any hall on earth. It was something other than gravity, as if he were floating through the veins of the behemoth known as Vitae. He looked about the busy corridors and saw the people as himself: blood cells that drifted from capillary to organ. Some white, attacking problems within the halls, or in adjacent rooms; and some red, carrying supplies and directing tragic through the remainder of the body. This morning he was red, carrying with him point-cloud projection device to his first shift in Engineering.

The doors slid shut behind him as the admiral finished his ship-wide address, and for a moment he stood surveying the crew going about their assigned tasks in the antechamber, before surveying the actual equipment installed, and that which remained to be installed. It was a large and open space whose central fixture was the drive core. The spaces between important equipment were filled with technicians and engineers burning with the fire the admiral put in their bellies. He walked the breadth of the room, and stopped near the ship's primary fusion core display. From within his pocket he produced the small projector and flipped through some images it contained. A dozen roses, and various other courting imagery from numerous cultures of earth. He brushed aside the technician manning the station, to place the device on the console.

Image

"Chief?" the technician asked. To which Xaith threw his arm around the technician's shoulder. Having not yet reported for duty, he was able to be a bit more casual than expected. "Do you know what that is?" he asked while pointing to the core. The technician responded with a curious look, as if he was being tested. "A state of the art--" but he was cut off. Xaith's interruption was of mild scorn. "Not what it says on the box. What it is." Not waiting to again receive a 'wrong' answer from the technician he answered his own question. "That's this ships heart. If anyone breaks my baby's heart, I will come down on them harder than the collective force of all the fathers our species has ever produced. Is that clear?" The technician gulped hard, "Sir, yes sir!" To which Xaith let out a hearty laugh, and a slap on the back. "Good man. We need our kids to look after us in our old age." With that Officer Calhound left the technician to his duties, although they were now being performed more gingerly than before. Moving back to the center of the room he began his official report in procedure.

The central imaging console was larger than expected, and Xaith walked its full circumference, before halting where he began. "Computer, Identify." The command was issued at the imaging device, which flickered on to detail a schematic, operational instructions, and of course the device's serial number. An action that broke the silence of the busy bees how had not yet noticed the Chief Calhound's presence. They looked at him with suspicion, as if he had never seen holographic technology before, but Xaith just grimaced at the required nuance this AI apparently required. "Clarification," he added, "Self Identify. What is the designation of this ship's intelligence?"

A number was displayed, Calhound clarified his inquiry again, this time demonstrating a lack of patience. "Your name."

"NO4H"

Of course the Chief Engineer had been briefed on the AI but he wanted to hear it from the entity himself. He needed to know how the AI thought. His job as Chief Engineer meant he had to know how all the systems under his command operated, their quirks, and habits; especially the ones with programs as complex as an AI. Upon resciving an answer to his query he cast is eyes around the room, and met the gaze of those gawking. The harsh stare of the Sargent First Class ensured they returned to their duties.

The commands he had issued were hard-line commands, and in them came the context of speaking directly to the program, and not the interface. There was an important difference he that only few would understand. "Verify identity: SFC Xaith Calhound, authorization PN051-Epsilon, and begin all requisite command transfers associated." Again he addressed the program, rather than the interface built specifically for the interaction, or at least simulated interaction, with people.

"Transfer complete."

A uniformed officer, female, approached the central imaging device. "Welcome aboard, sir. Are you taking command now?" Calhound cocked his head as his EEGARD looked up the officer's profile, and name. "Yes," he curtly said as he returned his attention to the imaging device. "Very good, sir." she responded, as Xaith posed a new command to the computer. "Display: N-O-4-H Avatar."

Hesitant to correct her commanding officer's first act as commanding officer, his assistant quietly squirmed for a moment in the awkward silence that followed it being issued, and nothing happening. After a drawn out breath, she spoke: "The N-O-4-H AI does not possess an avatar, per the Digital Differentiation Act."

The very mention of the word caused the act to appear in Xaith's glasses, and then be summarily dismissed as he said "I know what the Digital Differentiation Act says," he cut a short glare at his assistant before returning his attention to the imaging device. "It states 'sufficiently differentiated from human'. Computer..." He paused for a moment to think. "Display the most highly valued symbol in your program."

"∀"

"Why is that 'A' upside down?" his assistant asked.

The chief's all-consuming gaze at the computer was interrupted by a shocked glance. After taking a moment to both recompose himself he turned to face her directly. "Get out," he demanded whilst pointing to the door. She hesitated, but he shouted: "Now!" As his assistant performed the walk of shame to the door, he turned back to the Engineering's primary console, and continued to Noah. "Very good. Display the second most valued character."

"∃"

"Good, good. For now we will use that as your avatar," he said as he turned away from the imagine device to address all of Engineering. "We have a great deal of work to do," he called to the whole staff, "and not enough time to do it." he then added as a telling after thought. He approached the nearest interface technician and, while pointing to the symbol, he asked: "Do you know what that is?"

"Sir, yes sir." The nervous technician responded.

"Good." He pointed to the door. "Go explain it to her. I will not tolerate ignorant people being in my way—in the way of this ship's operation." As the doors to engineering closed behind the technician Xaith's voice could be heard barking orders. "Alright everybody. All this shit has got to go. You! Status report!"

[Mao Mao]

Earth didn't stand any chance of surviving against any kind of invasion for the Devastators. The Three Day War brought the destruction of the Citadel and the Fall of Armani. They managed to crush all of the Armani Fleet and almost wiped out the world's fleet. Kevin Ford knew that Earth was going to be destroy in the matter of hours. He haven't been aboard the Vitae for an hour, but he already missed the outside world. The smell of flowers and the noise of traffic from the streets below his apartment. He missed it all.

He especially missed his remaining family that had to stay and wait until death arrives. Thankfully, he was able to bring his wife and his two sons aboard. He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't bring one of his sons aboard. He looked at a picture of them at Washington Monument that they took a couple years ago, but it felt like centuries. Those were the good old days. He knew that the planet was coming to an end, but he had time to do whatever he wanted with his family and friends. Leaving behind everyone crushed Kevin.

His new job aboard Vitae has managed to keep him for thinking about them.

Since he's both an ambassador and historian, he was selected to work at the Archive. The place was amazing to be in. It contained all of the world's history, stories, footage, and other important stuff for everyone to look, read, and watch. The place even had physical copies of books that have to be handled carefully. They aren't even allowed to be removed from the Archive. He managed to get some of his own physical copies of some book before leaving behind his apartment. Kevin was working on his laptop that he got on his thirty-second birthday.

He was working on the last chapter of his e-book, The Last Eight Years of Earth. Kevin began the e-book as soon as he was accepted for Project Genesis. The e-book told about the events of the last eight years on Earth for the future survivors to understand how life was on Earth. He made nine chapters before he boarded the ark and planned to finish the last chapter aboard it. The last chapter was titled:

One Minute Left.

He needed to work on the title, but it was something for now. Admiral Locke's voice soon echoed over his room. The speech was about having hope in a time when our world is coming to an end. It was a good speech, but he kept working on his book as the speech went on for a bit before the Admiral's voice ended. He would mention the speech in his book, but not as much as the takeoff of the arks. And it was time to head back to the Archive. Kevin got up from his chair and shut off his laptop as he saved his writing. He began the long walk to the Archive. The transit system has a faster way to the Archive, but he'd prefer the hour long walk to his workplace. He left behind his room as he began the long walk and that was when the memories came back. Memories that he wished that he could just forget about.

He started to think about his father, one brother, and five sisters. They were invited up to the White House by the President as a place of haven, thanks to Kevin's background as an ambassador. Other workers and their families were invited to the White House by the President. He was always a kind heart-ed person, who cared for his workers and supporters. And he was the one that managed to put Kevin in Project Genesis. It was thanks to the president that he and his family have a second chance in life. Kevin mentioned the president in his book several times and thanked him as well. It was his way of remembering a dear friend.

An hour of walking got him to the Archive as he saw other workers getting off the bus. Kevin waited until the bus left before he crossed the track. While walking to work, he started to think about his family in the Cryogenic Vault. Kevin loved them to death and it was only the reason why he accepted the offer. If they were to die in the Vault, then the motivation to live would be lost forever. He kept on thinking about them until he heard his name.

“Kevin” a man walked up to him, “You, Madison, and Augustyn are going to help out our new workers by giving them a tour, since you three have been here for a week or so.”

Kevin nodded as his work day began once more. He walked up towards Madison and Augustyn as they were talking to each other and getting ready for the new guys. “Hey Kevin.” Madison said.

“Hey Madison and Augustyn.” he responded.

Augustyn smiled as he set down a data-pad and began to speak, “Are you ready to begin the 'grand tour'?”

Kevin answered his question, “Let's start this 'grand tour'.”

With the answer, the group began their walk to the outside of the Archive. The remaining twenty-seven workers had all arrived and waited for their tour guides. Kevin, Madison, and Augustyn met the workers as they were excited to get ready for work. Whether they wanted to start working so they forget about Earth or not, the group of three would still have to give the tour. The twenty-seven workers kept quiet as they listened to the group's words.

Then, the fun began, as they went inside the Archive.

[Sep]

For the past several minutes, as crew members on the bridge busied themselves with their duties William watched the hologram before him. His homeworld below the fleet, the largest fleet humanity had ever assembled under one banner. It wasn't Martian, Fed, Conglomerate or Armani. It was a human fleet through and through. Then an even larger number of red icons appeared, a wall of death and it was then that William let out a sigh, turning to Joanne he nodded. She keyed in her command code into the console as he keyed in his. Massive clamps along the side of the Vitae released, it could barely be felt but there was a slight drop before the ships systems kicked in to fight against the force of gravity bearing down on the behemoth. He keyed into the console, the figure of all the other Admirals appearing on the table. William nodded at all of them, coming from all different walks of life these eleven people plus him were responsible for the safe guarding of humanity.

---

"Is everyone clear on the Exodus protocol?" This wasn't the first time William had been in a room with Admiral Constantine and wodnered what the hell was going on. This time it wasn't him that had to speak up, instead Admiral Rita Haworth of the Rejuvenation was the one to speak, he was glad for it too. He didn't want to always be the one to question the will of one of humanities greatest heroes but also of the representative of the council that got him this job, and allowed him to keep on living. Though there were times when he considered resigning to instead help put up the good fight, had he had thought about it early he might have. Doing so now would only jeopardize the Ark he was leaving behind, giving it a commander that wasn't as prepared for the task as he was. After all he had been living on it for near five years.

"Excuse me sir, but does this protocol not contradict the entire point in Genesis? I mean if we execute Exodus then by all means-"

Constantine cut her off before she was even finished, the man was a brilliant tactician even in conversation. Always one step ahead. He seemed to only get better at it with age. "Exodus is a last measure, and only to be used in those circumstances. The whole idea behind Exodus is that lives sacrificed are not wasted, you need to remember that everything currently being done all over the planets is being done for these vessels. Everything. We've already made the choice to save a few so that humanity can survive, and that's the way we're going to keep doing it. You need to understand that, and get on with that program." He turned to William, giving him a look that almost made William believe that he could read minds, knowing that he himself had the same problems. "I know it isn't ideal, but nothing about this situation is. Anyway, you have your briefing packets. Get back to your ships, the next batch of command crew should be arriving today."

William got up, picking up his notes and turned to walk out the briefing room. They were onboard the Rejuvenation which was currently the only Ark sitting finished, at least mostly. She still had parts that needed finished but she was the only one to look whole. William couldn't help but wonder how the Vitae would compare, ships could look identical but they all felt different. As career navy that was something he believed wholeheartedly. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see the face of Rita, smiling he gave her a small salute. Technically she did outrank him, she just hit him on the shoulder. "At ease." He chuckled slightly as he looked at her, definitely European decent... the red hair and pale skin gave it away as well as the shocking green eyes that just drew you in.

"Oh, well. If you say I can be at ease, I guess I better be at ease. After all, I wouldn't want to annoy the commander of Constantines Pride."

"Now, listen here Locke..."

---

She was the first one to speak, she always was. "It's confirmed, the Devastator fleet is moving into weapons range to engage the fleet above Mars." She cast a quick glance at William, though he stood firm. While every military instinct at the back of his mind burned on fire, they were his people and he was just going to leave them behind. He was at war with himself, almost tempted to go hop in the Nyx and join in the battle. Though, he understood the importance of his mission and doing something as foolish as that wasn't going to help anyone. Not that she ever believed the stoic look anyway. She always saw right through it to what he was thinking.

"Per Constantines orders, the Rejuvenation will launch first, closely followed by the Vitae then Destiny,Relentless,Hope,Mirai,Citadel,Taweret,Inlustris,Xīng lièrén,Nueva Vida and finally the Jinsei no akashi. The next ship in the sequence should be ready to kiss sky the moment the previous ship breaks orbit. We can't waste any time, jump drives should be spooled up for the largest jump possible should Exodus be implemented, begin calculating your emergency jump co-ordinates." William and turned to Joanne, who then walked off in order to speak to the tactical officer, they were the second ship in the chain so it was unlikely they would need them. Though it was impossible to be over cautious at this stage of the project.

"Genesis is now underway gentlemen, and ladies." The hologram version of her looked directly at William. "Good luck." He merely nodded as the hologram faded away.

He turned to Anderson. "Helm, prime the engines for a full burst the moment the Rejuvenation breaks orbit, have the course laid in however keep the alternate route on standby." At this point he was pacing around all the officers that sat in the pit with him, all responsible for teams all over the ship. "Have all first response medical and engineering teams on standby-" At this point the bridge was a serious buzz of activity. It was real. "-All weapons primed and ready to fire, first response squadrons should be ready to launch on my command. Keep the shields primed and ready to activate the second we break free of Earths gravitational pull, divert the extra power to the engines. Run a full diagnostic on the jump core, if we need it to get out in a hurry I want to ensure it's fully operational and ready to go."

At that moment his earpiece buzzed, he tapped it with his right hand as he turned back to the holographic display. Changing the scene to that of the shipyard, watching as the Rejuvenation pulled away. "This is the Admiral speaking."

"Sir, we have a priority transmission from Admiral Haworth." William had to suppress a sad smile.

"Put it through-" There was a brief pause and then a soft click. "-Admiral, what can I do for you?"

"For a start, you can call me by my real name William. I mean it is the end of the world after all."

"Yes Ma'am, I suppose it is. Though you know us Martians, sticklers for protocl and procedure and technically we are both on duty."

"Would it help if I fired you?"

"It might, but then who are you going to get to command the Vitae?"

"I'm sure I could rehire you."

"Not quite sure if I'd accept." There was an awkward pause, William knew what part of the conversation they were coming too. He had known it was coming for a while. They both had, it was something they knew from the very moment they met, that everything was going to end with the launch of the Arks. It was something they had never discussed, and they probably should have.

"You know William-" He cut her off.

"I know, you don't need to say anything."

"I just feel that I should say Go-"

"You are not saying Goodbye. Goodbyes are final, always hated them." He himself paused. "What I will say is, I'll see you later. That's a promise."

He heard her chuckle slightly. He wasn't sure why she was, whether she was trying to hide the fact she was upset or found it genuinely funny. "I hope so William. Be happy."

The line went silent and he had to fight to compose himself. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he watched as the Rejuvinator broke orbit, now capable of going full thrust it careered away from Earth, and she careered away from him. Part of him broke at knowing that he'd never be able to fulfill that promise, that he never would see her later. Though he could live with the fact, that she would survive. There were no ifs, no buts. She would, she was a real fighter.

"Helm, take us away."

He tapped his comm into the ship wide PA. This time keeping it brief. "This is the Admiral. I would just like to inform you that the Rejuvenation is away and in moments the Vitae will follow her course to the Eye and make it's jump out of this system. I would recommend that all civillian personnel who are not currently working to find a place out of the way to allow essential personnel the freedom to move if the need arises. For those that wish it we are now streaming footage of our takeoff through the window screen system, and all observation portals are now available for use. Thankyou all, and good luck."

As the engines roared to life, and the bow of the ship lifted as the engines pushed the Vitae towards the sky, all that could run through Williams head that this was truly real, this was the moment they had been training for for years. Everyone had in one capacity or another, but here they were now.

There really was No Turning Back anymore.

[LegionPothIX]

In Engineering it was all hands on deck, and an absolute clamor rang out as the docking clamps released. As Chief of Engineering, Xaith felt it his duty to address the restless crowd that was his entire department as the final pre-flight procedures got underway. With too many chefs in the kitchen it was his job to ensure none ruined the broth.

Using the central imaging projector, and pushing its capabilities to its limits, Chief Calhound brought up a real-time image of the Earth that filled nearly the entirety of Main Engineering. From catwalk to catwalk there was not a soul whom couldn't see it hovering over him. "Attention." The word need only be spoken once as all were looking for some assurances that they had made the right decision joining the Arks.

"I know everyone here has mixed feelings about living, whilst all those around us... all those on this planet we're fleeing, are not afforded the same opportunity." His tone was serious as he spread both arms far and wide to emphasize the enormity of the number of people being left behind. "Allow me to put your concerns to rest, as that notion is simply not true." His tone sharpened and with it his demeanor turned hard. "We do not live," he said, "We survive. By tooth and nail—claw and fang—we fight." With the words he drew in his hands to two clinched fists at his sizes in an action that empowers one with a sense of dominance. "We fight not a losing battle against an enemy we cannot yet hope to understand, but of one against ourselves, and our own weaknesses." Xaith then turned to face the planet's image, inviting all to do so. "We survive, so that our children's children may live. We ourselves do not live. We stave off death."

With that and knowing that the hard work had been done, as to afford his staff two minutes of silent contemplation, Xaith punched a button on the Engineering's main internal comm directory, and a song rang out over the somber and quelled hearts in the belly of the beast.

The ice-cold grip of space. The planet held in the "devil's" grasp, and all the wealth and ruin—let alone those souls—left behind. It was all too surreal, as the entered the door beyond their world those who could hear the hum of the drive cores couldn't help but feel a specter on their tail as they broke free of the platform.

In the minutes that followed orders came through to run diagnostics on the jump drive. Orders that were automatically countermanded by a standing order from the Chief of Engineering, which resulted in NO4H reporting an all-clear status to the bridge and opening a comm channel on Xaith's behalf.

After his first act as Chief of Engineering was to assign NO4H an avatar, he used the apparent embarrassment to justify assigning the entire department to top-to-bottom preparation of the whole Jump Drive and related systems, to ensure all were ready for use for the every possible outcome. Though his staff may simply have thought him to be punishing them, he hoped they could see the necessity for being ready for anything.

"Captain..." SFC Calhoun shouted into the comm lines as to be heard over the murmur that was his over-stocked, and overloaded department now brimming with mixed emotion. As an army man it was his first instinct to say 'Admiral' but it was navy tradition to address the C.O. of a ship as 'the captain' regardless of their actual rank. He shrugged, as who was he to argue with naval tradition, and went on: "I hope you do intend to give me some credit during this journey. The jump core is already aligned, charged, and standing by." He paused to shout over to his team before continuing, "It was the first thing we did when I came aboard. You and I both know it's not good to leave these types of things to the last minute, and running a new diagnostic now may result in tripping the whole system off-line."

With all systems at the ready, and NO4H taking control of most flow regulation and operational details at the behest of the helm Xaith saw no more reason to keep the Main Engineering overstaffed, and dismissed all but the first scheduled shift. As his staff filed out, he added as an afterthought, "While we may be the second to launch, I assure you. There isn't a finer group of Engineers leaving earth today."

[RedLeather]

Erik nodded absently as the Admiral's voice once again cut out. The ship made an almost imperceptible drop, and then began to rise ever so slowly. Erik's "window" showed the desert slowly receding, as if falling away from the ship. He sat on the bed, staring out at the last glimpse of his home, his Earth. As the ship rose ever higher towards the abyss of space, he watched the desert shrink to fade into the surrounding landscape. He could see seas and land and forests, tainted faintly brown. He saw fires burning in major cities where riots had yet to be put down. He saw the desolate landscape of Southern Europe over the Mediterranean. The Earth had already been dying, the Devastators were just here to finish it off. He absently pondered the last time he had convinced the Earth could be saved.

---

"Sir, this doesn't make any sense. There's no phonetic pattern, no basis for symbolism, its just a repeated series of chittering." Erik glowered and his intern, Richard, a young Englishman. "This is barely different from the sounds of squirrels or crickets even." Richard wrung his hands.

"Damnit boy," Erik swore, "You aren't listening hard enough. There most certainly is something there. Listen not to the pitch or the rhythm, but pace and volume. It's the same few series of sounds, but it varies massively by volume, and sometimes is slow and drawn out, and other times nearly as fast as a bullet." His English analogies needed work. But he knew he was close, there was something in these sounds that was a language, and if they could just figure out the language, then maybe, just maybe, they could stop this.

Richard sighed. "Look Dr. Karlson, I got a date tonight, some I'm gonna head out."

"Fine, fine, nine AM tomorrow, we're going to listen to it backwards I think. Maybe if we adjust for background noise..." he trailed off as Richard shook his head and left the older man to his work.

---

That was the last time Erik had seen Richard. The boy had been killed in a riot rampaging across St. Johns towards the city hall. The rioting had been going on since the Three Day War, even before Project Genesis had been announced. The Canadians were terrified, and rightfully. This rampant violence had convinced Erik there was nothing left on this planet, and it was on that day he had left Canada. He had few friends left, most had either fled home to be with their loved ones in the last days, or else had become either drunks or druggies. Erik was neither. He had had a job to do. But he had failed.

Erik watched as the stars appeared. He had never been off-world, and the stars stunned him. The vastness of space was simply astonishing. "Vsemogŭshtiya Chudno" he whispered in Bulgarian. He turned and looked down again at Earth. The lights of the cities were sprawled out, a vast dark spot across much of Europe. He shook his head. At this point, he much preferred the stars. He wished he could see Mars and the fleet, but he knew that was impossible. It was time to go. Finally time to push past the bounds of Human possibility and go see what was out there. Erik smiled.

[boomlover]

When the command to liftoff reached Theodore's ear. He immediately started engine launch. His fingers typed at the keyboard like he was playing the piano. the screen itself showed the ship as a small green ship on a 3d looking map. Which moved at the command he was typing. He heard a small sniff as he saw His friend Leroy shedding a tear for those that would be left behind. Theodore could understand since Leroy had to leave some of his family behind. Since they would rather believe that God would save them from doom. Still, after all of these centuries, people would still believe in this crap. Then again it was nice to know that you had a God watching over you. Even though it was a lie but still. Leroy noticed Theodore looking at him and quickly wiped the tear away. His eyes weren't red because of the tears so it seemed that He had some control over himself but not enough to keep his emotions locked up. Theodore felt really bad for his friend but it wasn't like he could do much about it. He would have to Put the pain away by himself. And he could not help with that. Theodore padded him on the back and said with a very dramatic voice.

" I'm sure that our great great grandchildren will one day retake our home world from the alien scum."
Leroy chuckled a little to it. It wasn't much but better than nothing.

" Yeah right, and before we know it we will have colonized the galaxy, joined an alien council, destroyed an alien council and save the entire galaxy from a giant fleet of synthetic robots that want to destroy all life."

" Did anyone ever tell you that you would be a great writer?"

" Nope"

" I am not surprised."
With that said Leroy looked at him with a smirk on his face.

" Hey, Theodore?"

" Yes?"

" Fuck you."

" I love you too."

To that, both of them laughed and went back to work. As the clamp holding the ship from falling on the ground released. activating the thrusters making the ship hover for a few seconds. Inside the ship, there wasn't felt much. Expect mabey the lack of gravity for a nanosecond. But for the rest nothing would be felt. Outside the ship, however, was a whole different story. sand flew meters into the air and the entire launch site became a minor sandstorm. The ship disappeared into the sand and for a few moments, it seemed the ship was utterly gone.Then the front of the ship flew out of the storm. Slowly but surely the entire ship was viewable once again. Then the main engine fired at full power roaring like an enraged dragon that was ready to fly.

launching the Vitae into the air. The main engine's thrust dispersed the sandstorm. Making it fly off like a ring. And for a moment the launching base could be seen perfectly. But as the Vitae flew higher and higher into the air. The base became smaller, smaller and smaller. until it was just a minor blip. During this time the ship really had not felt that much. A slight roaring sound could be heard but that was the only thing really. As they entered the stratosphere Theodore decided that now was a good time to take a drink. He had made a small stash where he had stored a single bottle of bourbon for him to enjoy. he could already imagine the sweet sweet taste. But he then found the bourbon to be gone and to be replaced by a simple bottle of water.

A bottle of goddam water. Now Theodore couldn't break military protocol so instead he simply just grumbled and went on with his work. but in his head, he would find out who did it. And the or she would have a headache for a week that was certain. A hundred kilometers away was the rejuvenation. Flying towards the eyes. With a few commands to follow the ship Theodore laid back in his chair and took a second to breathe. He then started to mumble and old song his uncle had told him about. It was a good but extremely old song. And how his uncle heard it was a mystery in itself. But some mysteries are better-left secret.

Final countdown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

[Rawk]

[ Security Central | The Hub | Post-launch ]

Slight trembling could be felt, maybe not of the magnitude that he'd expected, but enough to carry a sudden yet brief cold chill up through his spine as though his own grave had been trampled under the thick soles of heavy boots. It was the sound of the docking clamps and the feel of weight shifting -as the Ark compensated for gravitational changes- that gave the Security Chief a moment of doubt before dismissing it.

“Time to get those space legs ready...”

He mused to himself, walking into the briefing room toward one of the viewing screens -a virtual window of sorts- that pulled up a wide angle shot of the outside, and watched as the sand, dust, smoke, and debris swirled from the initial thrust of the main engines. Gavon flipped through a few camera channels until he found one that gave a clearer image, one mounted near the top of the ship, and allowed a fuller view of the desert landscape that was quickly disappearing. In that moment, his thoughts sent him back to what was once his homeland, his birthplace, and what had eventually shaped him into the man he’d become. Malchevskaya, the small town a few kilometers outside Moscow that had once been considered a place of cultural beauty and interest. It’s historic architecture, vast array of sculptures and paintings, hanging gardens, and deep, narrow waterways made the town an escape for many and a home to others. Even after the Third World War decimated much of what once existed, generations of families rose from those ashes, building up the town brick by brick in hopes of restoring an otherwise lost culture. As time passed, however, the behavior of each generation changed, and the traditional mindset that kept the spirit alive slowly wavered until it was all but forgotten. Gavon’s only experience within the confines of that symbiotic relationship with his homeland had been through his own parents, who did their best to fight for what they had, even if that fight had been a futile attempt at regaining a lost civilization.

The light floral scent from Natalie’s conditioner was a welcomed aroma among the artificial air circulating throughout the room.

“I’ll miss it too, Gav.”

He knew that was only partially true, that she’d dreamed of living and travelling in space ever since she was a little girl growing up in Texas, but he sensed enough of the sincerity in her voice to figure she was at least appealing to her husband’s own sentiments of his home.

“I know you will.” He finally said after a few moments of silence before switching off the viewing screens, and turning to his wife.

Natalie gazed into his steel blue eyes, seeing past the facade he’d been so exceptional at building up in his expressions to hide what he really felt, and wiped the single small tear that had formed in the corner of his eye.

“That’ll be the last tear I shed.” He said in an almost joking manner, yet his tone told a different story.

“Yeah...well don’t count yourself among the emotionless just yet. Leave that to the robots and AI units. But, in any case-”

Natalie gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Duty calls, so I'll see you around thirteen hundred hours for a meal break, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”

Gavon nodded and smiled as Nat returned to the security command station in the next room. Her mention of the AI, however, reminded him that he needed to run a few checks with the ship's own artificial intelligence.

“Noah, I need an Ark-wide scan of all security personnel, their current locations, and also any reports that have been logged since 0600.”

“At present time, Chief TreVayne, there are two hundred agents accounted for, each serving on various decks throughout the Vitae: ten Investigators, thirty Riot officers, and one hundred sixty foot patrol. Of the currently active patrol, there is one inactive agent.

“One ‘inactive’ agent? Explain.”

“Agent Samuel Hicks -badge number 0541VT- current location is lavatory sixteen, deck five. Health diagnostics indicate he is suffering from motion sickness and migraines.”

“Did he inform a medical unit?”

“Agent Hicks has not reported in, shall I dispatch a Med-Unit to his location?”

“Immediately.”

As highly improbable as it was for a trained agent to suddenly becoming “sea sick” moments after a launch, Gavon also assumed it was more than a simple biological unbalance. He remembered Hicks, a young upstart, ready to take on the world, but had a lot of learning ahead of him in the way of discipline. He’d allowed the demons of his own past to cloud his future, and even though Samuel passed the psyche-evals with no significant concerns, there was still a piece of him that lingered on loose ends he never tied up, and probably never will. Regrets? Perhaps. But even during his training over the last several weeks, the kid displayed a passion and resolve in his position, traits that were rare in any workforce during these uncertain times.

“Chief, this is Fiorini down on deck seven, copy?”

Gavon’s headset communicator lit up in his ear.

“Ten-four, go ahead Agent.”

“We have a physical camera that’s dangling from the ceiling by it’s wires. One of the wires appears to be pulled apart, but the camera itself is still in tact. It most likely shook out of it’s casing from the initial thrust of the Ark. A technician was notified and is enroute. Over.”

“Copy that. Although there wasn’t much vibration on the interior, I’d simply chalk it up to poor installation, so don’t be surprised if you find others. TreVayne out.”

Gavon made his way over to the large rectangular holo-table situated in the center of the main Security & Surveillance room, which allowed for three-dimensional compositions of the Vitae's complete layout as well as small avatars denoting each active Sec Agent's position.

"Not bad" He smiled, still amazed at how quickly technology has evolved over the years, even in his own lifetime.

[vietmyke]

Within minutes, Sara's belongings were in her locker, and her EVA Harness was strapped around her chest. It was an annoying, bulky thing that fit over the body in a similar manner to football pads, but considerably more expensive. Essentially a modern-day jetpack, the EVA Harness was meant to allow pilots to move in zero-G situations, such as the vacuum of space outside the safety of their mothership. The EVA Harness mounted a multidirectional mini thruster on the back and shoulders, connected to the legs, and had an inner lining that acted as an airbag when necessary. The Harness provided a pilot with approximately 90 minutes of breathable atmosphere, and was protected by a laminated metal plates that provided pilots with protection near the level of military grade body armor- albiet with an atmosphere.

Jogging out of the lockers, Sara jogged three steps towards the middle of the hangar before she realized that the ship was still on the ground, and therefore still in gravity. With a slight sigh, Sara made her way to one of the hangar's lifts, where several pilots were beginning to crowd around. Until they got into space, they were stuck using lifts to get to the upper cells of the hangar. Luckily for them, the lifts were built to help move around materials, and had plenty of space for multiple pilots at a time. Unluckily for them, the mechanics were still trying to load ammunition and materials into the fighters, and the pilots were stuck fighting with the crews for space on the lift.

Finally scrambling across the catwalk- her boots clanging heavily against the metal, and sliding herself over the hood of a loading vehicle in her fighter's cell, she gave a quick nod to her crew chief as she went up the ladder, several rungs at a time, and slid herself into her fighter, making her 5 minute ready time by the second on the dot. Unsurprisingly, she was the first in her squadron to be in their fighter- several of the other pilots were stuck in the bottleneck that was one of the fighter lifts. Seeing this, her crew chief took the time to climb up the ladder and rap on the side of her cockpit.

"In a rush Hawkins?" asked the bulky crew chief, with a slight chortle as he peered over his datapad.

"No, why do you ask?" Sara replied with a pant, brushing some hair out of her way, and cradling her helmet in her lap.

"Anyway, it looks like you guys and the Barracudas pulled the short straw, command wants you guys in the pipe first in case we face enemy contact. To that end, all of the 7th Squadron's T-22s have been outfitted with a magazine of explosive shells, and a spare magazine loading armor-piercing semi-explosive slugs. Thats a whole 60 seconds of uninterrupted fire, Hawkins- don't waste it."

"Copy that," Sara said with a low whistle as she synced her Smart-Vision to her ship's systems, the cannons and ammunition display appearing as if in 3d space between her and her fighter's actual console.

"We're also swapping out the Serpent Missile pods- All T-22s are gonna be outfitted with 6 Trebuchet anti-ship missiles, They'll serve you a lot better than Serpents if shit does hit the fan."

Sara nodded as the missile indicators also appeared in her Smart-Vision. Settling into her seat, Sara cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders before she slipped on her helmet and sealed herself inside her suit. She had a bit of time left, the ship wouldn't launch until the alert fighters were nestled into the catapults- just in case. Flipping switches inside her cockpit, Sara switched her ship into Standby mode. A modern marvel, the T-22 fighters were among the most agile, and technologically advanced ships in the Navy's arsenal- while nowhere near as robust as the older T-18 Fighters that they trained with, the T-22 was a highly capable, and deadly machine in the right hands.


> Confirming Pilot Assignment: Hawkins Sara_
> ...Pilot Confirmed
> Initializing systems...

> Reactor Unit: OK_
> Life Support: OK_
> Targeting AI: OK_
> Weapon Systems: OK_

> Calibrations Complete
> All Systems Functional
> Standby

As her fighter powered to life, she noticed several biosignatures also popping onto her Smart-Vision, her other squadron members. As their fighters were coming online, the giant arms in the hangar began picking up fighters and transporting them to the catapults. Sara's own crew chief stepped away and slapped the side of her fighter as the arms picked up her fighter with a slight jostle. "Grave Robbers, sound off." Sara called through her comms as her fighter was carried through the hangar.

"Crowley, standing by."
"Simms, standing by."
"Thomas, ready to kick some ass."
"Loch, telling Thomas to shut the hell up."
"Adams, standing by."
"Lin, standing by."

Opening a line with the CAG, Sara reported her squadron clear to go. Moments later, there was a slight thump, as the latches holding the Vitae released, and the ship began its ascent into space. Sara quietly muttered a prayer to herself- it was an Armani thing. They weren't particularly religious by any means, but something about launching a ship for the first time deserved such, to many Armani. Finishing that, she patched her Smart-Vision into the window-feed, and watched their takeoff. Some of the other pilots did the same, others sat in their heavily armed coffins and waited for the order to deploy- if the order came. The Devastators were coming, so they were leaving.

[Xandrya]

Good luck? she thought to herself, wondering just how long her luck would last her. Hopefully it wouldn't run out any time soon, not before she had the chance to explore the ship and enjoy herself some...

"Mel!"

Melanie stopped and turned in the direction of the voice calling out for her.

"Jonas!" She immediately spotted him from behind the bar, a shaker in one hand pouring out whatever drink the PDA-obsessed couple sitting across from him had ordered. Melanie made her way towards her friend with the intention of staying there for her meal, but she left a few empty seats between her and the lovebirds. Nothing would ruin her meal more than sitting next to two slobbering idiots. "I know I said we'd hang out, but look at you, you're always working. How in the world are we going to find the time to do anything?"

"Is that your excuse? Because I'm pretty sure I've asked you out not once, nor twice--"

"Alright, I get it." She smiled at him before looking down at the menu. "Hmm...can I have the Belarus sandwich? And a double shot of whatever you recommend, please and thank you." Jonas scanned her chip to deduct credit for her drink before disappearing through a door. Meanwhile, Melanie's mind drifted back to her session with Carl. She was thinking about him for a good minute or two before she turned her head to look at the couple sitting not too far from her. It was then that Melanie gasped in surprise. She couldn't help but stare at the couple--her parents--in total shock. Part of her knew that was impossible, but another part of her also wanted to believe that they had been alive all this time, that they somehow faked their deaths for whatever reason and she was now sitting a couple of feet away from them.

"Can I help you?" asked the woman after she'd been nudged by her partner who was the first to notice that Melanie was staring at them like they were the headline from some freak show at the circus. Melanie didn't say anything as she struggled to find the right words to say to her mother after all these years. "Is no polite to stare." the woman continued, her slurred words an obvious sign that she was intoxicated. When she hopped off the barstool to approach Melanie, the poor woman couldn't help but suddenly feel threatened as her mother's face slowly warped back to the stranger's own. At this, Melanie shoved the woman hard enough for her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

"Stay back! D-Don't touch me!" Melanie stood up with the intention to leave, but the man quickly blocked her path in an attempt to shield his partner from her.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Melanie grew more defensive, kneeing the man in the groin before she had just enough leverage to slam his head on the edge of the bar top.

"Melanie, what are you doing?" Jonas came rushing out, but the last thing she wanted to do now was stick around. She grabbed her purse and turned around, noticing then that a small crowd had gathered around the bar to watch the chaos. As she focused on getting out of that place, Melanie felt a hand wrap around her ankle, pulling her leg out of balance. She too took a hard fall, then felt the weight of someone sitting on her back. At that moment, Melanie pushed herself up off the ground and to the side, then noticed it was the woman who was attempting to retaliate, but was obviously losing the fight. Melanie pinned her down before delivering a couple of punches that would draw blood, her sight limited to the tunnel vision she'd developed during their struggle. Before she was able to inflict more damage, Melanie felt a pair of arms pull her off of the woman.

"Calm the hell down!" she heard Jonas' voice very close to her ear as he forcibly guided her away from the area. Melanie slowly began to process everything that had happened. Another staff member was helping out the man, checking his head for any signs of damage, and one or two people from the crowd were approaching the woman on the floor.

"My parents--they were here. It was them!"

But Jonas wouldn't have it, knowing all too well that it was just Melanie's head messing with her.

[Sep]

Loretta stood up from the console and stretched as there was a slight change in the gravity. Likely the transition from the non-artifical gravity of Earth over to the gravity being produced by the Ark itself. It'd likely be a long time before she herself felt the true pull of gravity, she had no doubt they'd see worlds before the Ark was put to rest, though she didn't hold everyone elses optimism that they'd find a new world to live on within the first year. After all there was more than simply looking for a planet that they could breathe on, they had to take into account what the plant and animal life was like as well as the seasons. Simply setting down on the first rock they could live and breathe on would be a mistake, one that her fellow educated peers knew off. At least she hoped they did, the ones she had talked to about it did at least. She still stood that they would be far better off converting the Ark into a fully fledged space station, they had the drones and the materials to turn it into a large construct. Why bother with a planet at all?

Planets just caused trouble in the long run, look at the current Devastator attacks for example. A space station like the Vitae with the ability to move when necessary would have made the extinction of the most of the human race impossible, as they would all have just left. Though Martians and Terrans were always so sentimental about their home planet, even those from the Lunar Colonies were strangely affixed to the moon. It never made sense to her why you would tie yourself down to a specific location, while many Armani tied themselves down to ships these ships never lingered for too long lest someone was wrong. To be Armani was to be constantly on the move, which was why these last couple of years, and even the years she had spent studying, were complete and utter torture.

Standing up she looked back at the console, as the face of an occupant in one of the cryo-chambers flickered briefly disappearing. She turned to one of the assistants in the lab. "Flemming, run a diagnostic on the monitoring system. I've got a flicker on my screen, make sure that we don't have a serious glitch on our hands. I expect the results back by the end of my lunch break."

"But my lunch break-"

"Will start after you've finished running the diagnostic. It's your system, so you make sure it's working. That's only logical." Why some people couldn't understand these simple bouts of logic was beyond her. She stood up and walked out of the Cryogenic bay and towards the transit system. A short time later she was in the hub, it always impressed her when initially walking into the hub. She had seen commerce centres on space stations before but this was truly impressive, the scale of it was something else. Walkways left right and centre, signs for various establishments littered the small city. People walking around discussing all matters, as not everyone was needed during take off. It surprised her how calm everything was, though most people who had been on the ship for any length of time had said their piece on leaving Earth behind.

However there was the occasional teary eyed group. She sighed as she entered a small diner and sat down, the waitress didn't even bother to ask her her ordr. She had been coming here every day since it opened, and always had the same meal. She turned to the screen as she saw the Ark begin to rise up into the sky and sighed. It was time to return to the stars.