Rawk — Roleplayer Guild

[ 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.
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Perfectly Broken

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