Mission Zero

"Hello everyone! My name is Aaron, and I'll be your captain for this expedition. Here is River, your co-captain." Stated Aaron, an animated person with peachy skin, brilliant orange hair and blue eyes, wearing the standard uniform of navy blue like everyone else. River, a tan-skinned woman, gave a joyful wave. She had hazel eyes, dark brown hair with blue highlights that ended at her chin at one side; the other was cut short- and a septum piercing. "Happy boarding day!" River congratulated, arousing a small applause from the group before her. Continuing, Aaron reminded, "We will be awake for a week, just to get to know each other a bit before we are put to sleep for the true journey- we won't age much this way. If anyone is feeling uncertain, you have until your name is called to back out and leave- you are all legally bound to this mission after you are on board. Remember that we are potentially putting our lives at risk, but for a great cause." He let a few moments of silence pass so that everyone could dwell on it. "Safety is our top priority." River intervened, stuttering ever so slightly- it was the first time she'd ever been in a position like this one. “We have rules and procedures to follow- which y’all should have read through already. Now’s the time to ask questions before we proceed with getting on board.” River smiled, giving her best effort to sound reassuring and confident. One person with short, pale green hair raised their hand after a moment of murmuring throughout the group. Aaron gestured at them, signaling for them to speak. “What are our sleeping arrangements going to be like? Nothing was said about it other than we’ll be put into weird lil chambers to ‘drastically slow aging'.” They questioned, making little air quotes as they spoke. “Ah! Right, I wanted to address that. We’d prefer if everyone would find at least one roommate because of space, however there are enough rooms for some people to sleep by themselves. This does not apply when we’re put to sleep for the long haul- hope none of you are claustrophobic, because we’re all going to be in a tube for who knows how long. There are already some crew mates who have been put to sleep- they’re pretty much just here for the ride or until we need them.” Aaron explained halfheartedly, having a light and playful tone. There were some more murmurs amongst everyone, but no further questions about sleep. “What about our ‘roles’?” Asked a man with slicked-back strawberry blond hair. “We were told to pick a few from what was given after the assessment.” “Right; we’ll get to that as we call names. If there are no further questions..?”Aaron paused, looking to River for her to take over before heading into the ship’s decontamination/entry point. River took a step forward, brandishing a piece of paper from who knows where as she looked amongst the others. Silence filled the general vicinity, and River continued after a moment. “Okie dokie then- When I call your name, please go see Aaron in the ship for your job. If you don’t like it, I’m sure we can figure out something.. But-! Without further adieu; Amber, you’re up first.” A beige-skinned person with chin-length red and brown striped hair gave a casual nod and strolled over to the entrance for her role. And so the roles went as follows: Amber: Medic Benny: Geologist/explorer Chad: Pilot and janitor Denise: Head Chef Envy: General assistant Jacob: Artist and explorer Jamie: Engineer and explorer Josh: Engineer and explorer Maxi: Nutritionist Sora: Explorer Afterwards, everyone was waiting on the main deck- the commons of the ship. It had an entry to the manual pilot, communication’s panel off to the left, the mapping center across from comms, and an entry to the mess hall- or dining room. There was a big window in between the comms and maps, and a pole in the middle of the room that acted as support for the upper deck’s inner balcony. “Welcome!” Said a strange voice. At the same time, a little black, white, and orange dog appeared, seemingly out of thin air. “I am Anubis, the Monarch Explorer’s AI.” They stood beside a pole in the center of the room, little stubby tail wagging and all. “I am a tangible, and emotionally-capable hologram: you are all welcome to touch me.. Unless that privilege is revoked.” Anubis boofed, watching as everyone was settling in and chatting. They hopped up onto a chair that Aaron left to address the room once more. “Everyone seems to be getting along so far already, so that’s great- Denise?” He looked towards a dark woman with coarse, chocolate brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was standing by the window with Amber and a blond haired girl. “If you wouldn’t mind, please go with Maxi into the mess hall for eating arrangements? There are currently twelve people on board. I’ll be joining you two shortly.” He motioned to another person, the one with pale green hair. They were short in stature, and were already out of uniform- wearing a baggy long sleeved shirt that drooped off one shoulder. “We hate to make everyone get to work so soon, but we gotta get this show on the road!” River stated, as if on cue. Aaron smiled. “Once we’re out of orbit and on our way, I promise there will be plenty of time for us to all get to know each other. And let’s hope we all get along- because we’re going to be in close quarters for a while.” He joked. Nervous chuckles and side glances went through the room as River got up and began giving instructions. Aaron gave her a grateful nod as he went off to the mess hall with Maxi and Denise. River was really trying to live up to her role as co-captain- and Aaron was proud of her. He knew her parents were high ranking officials in the Orbitt Exploration Association, or, the OEA- and that’s why she was even here. But, she had a lot of potential, at least in his eyes. He knew it’d take some getting used to for her. Aaron helped set up the mess hall with Maxi as Denise made her way through the kitchen, taking stock of fresh foods and generally familiarizing herself with the place. “Hey, Maxi?” Denise called over a counter, holding a clipboard. “Can you help me with meal plans? There’s lots of veggies and not much meat.” “Yeah, be there in a sec.” Maxi gave an apologetic look to Aaron as they finished helping with a table before going off to go help Denise. Aaron waved it off airily, easily setting up the rest of the room. He called Anubis afterwards, sitting in a swivel chair. “Anubis, come.” He spoke, and the little dog appeared before him in front of the chair. “What can I do for you, Aaron?” They sat, a curious glimmer in their eyes. “How’s everyone doing?” He queried simply. “Emotionally, it appears fine. Job wise: Jamie and Josh are in the engine’s room running a check-up and doing fine-tuning. Jacob, Benny, and Sora moved up to the second floor of the main deck and are on the balcony talking. Envy is assisting Chad in some general maintenance on the manual pilot. Amber is in the med center with River and reviewing what she has.” Anubis hopped up, disappearing as he was called by someone else- probably Maxi or Denise. “Great.” Aaron spoke to himself, smiling a bit as he went off to the engine’s room. Aaron found Jamie talking to- or rather, talking at Josh. She was trying to tell him to leave some piping alone. She was blond haired and pale skinned, now wearing a green gradient tank top that showed her arm tattoos and dark blue jeans. Josh was equally pale and had chestnut colored hair. He had this golden retriever look to him, with shaggy hair and soft general features. He was now wearing a red and grey hoodie and black sweatpants, tattoos creeping up his neck from under the hoodie. “Josh I f*****g swear- leave it alone. You’re gonna break it- JOSH-” Jamie threw a wrench down, being frustrated by the other’s stupidity. “Uh-” Aaron tried to intervene, but was ultimately blocked out. “I know what I’m doing! I swear- I can do this by myself!” Josh whined, but his experience said otherwise. “You don’t know what you’re doing!” Jamie fussed, managing to shove Josh out of the room. “Bloody hell-” Jamie sighed finally, turning to Aaron as if just noticing him. “Captain, right? Why is he here? He’s useless!” Jamie said in disbelief, pinching the bridge of her nose. “...sorry, bad start, huh?” Jamie muttered, but didn’t pursue the issue. This left the room in an awkward silence that drew on too long. “Anyways…” Aaron started, not completely comprehending what he just witnessed. “Is everything ready for launch? We need to be in the air by nine PM.” “Yeah, it’s fine. Thankfully Josh didn’t get to tighten the damn pipes like he wanted to; that would’ve backed up the ship’s plumbing and probably would’ve broken the water-recycling system.” Jamie grumbled spitefully, but cracked her neck a bit and proceeded to relax afterwards. “Alright, thank you.. And just a gentle reminder that I didn’t pick anyone here, I was assigned to lead this mission. We’ll all learn to deal with each other’s rough patches, and I hope we can all develop good relationships. In the meantime, I’ll talk with Josh.” Aaron promised. Jamie seemed satisfied enough with the answer, and gave a parting wave as she headed back to the main deck. Aaron sighed to himself, deciding to go change out of uniform before trying to address anyone else. It was hot anyway. He changed into a white button down shirt and black jeans in one of the empty rooms. None of the ‘dorms’ had been chosen yet, so it’s not like it mattered. He started his way towards the med center, figuring he'd have a more pleasant experience with River and Amber. As he passed down one of the halls, he caught a conversation between Chad and Envy in the manual pilot- “The nurse is sorta hot, isn’t she?” Envy joked and silence followed. A moment passed and a thud was heard. Aaron sort of just paused in the hall, peaking into the room to see what was up. Chad was the strawberry blond guy with sun-tanned skin. He was wearing an orange tank top with red geometric shapes and dark grey cargo shorts. Envy had black hair and light brown skin. He was wearing a black vest over a collared purple shirt and black dress pants. “Disrespect women around me again and you may get shot out of the airlock.” Chad said rather casually. And with that, Aaron was off. Chad had it handled... ‘Don’t mess with the janitor- gotcha..’ Aaron thought to himself, speed walking all the way to the med center. There, he found Amber sorting through a drawer of miscellaneous jars. She was now wearing a forest green sleeveless turtleneck and deep brown leggings. “Hey, finding your way around alright?” Aaron questioned, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he relaxed. A normal interaction.. “Yeah! River’s been helping me- I’m trying to find a UV light.” Amber replied simply. “Are we ready for launch?” “We will be soon. Come out to the main deck when you’ve gotten yourself situated. We’ll be eating before we launch.” Aaron turned to head out, but heard a crash coming from behind a closet door. Out came River, who was holding a, now cracked, UV light. “Found one!” She said happily, despite the slight injury. “River!” Amber called worriedly, heading over to her. Aaron simply chuckled at them and left them be- he knew they’d be alright in the end. There were more UV lights anyways. When it came time, Aaron stood in the center of the main deck. He called for everyone to meet there, and was making mental notes of who he hadn’t really seen or talked to yet: Jacob, a man with black hair and peachy skin. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye and had a robotic arm. He was wearing a striped long sleeve under a blue T-shirt with a skull on it and black ripped jeans. Sora, a pale person who had short black hair with blue highlights. They now wore a grey scarf, blue sweatshirt, and a black skirt. And Benny, a person with short white hair that was long in the front and light blue at the ends. He still wore the uniform, aside from the top being undone to reveal a body harness and black undershirt. Everyone except Denise and Maxi were in the room; they were getting food ready by now. “Thank you everyone for meeting here, I hope you’ve all found your ways around relatively easily. Please follow me into the mess hall, and I’ll brief you all on what’s happening next.” Aaron smiled, happy to see that the atmosphere wasn’t as tense as it was before. He led everyone into the mess hall, letting everyone get situated in seats as Maxi and Denise began handing out plates of food to everyone. Aaron set his aside for the meantime and waited until the two oddballs seated themselves to start talking. “Alright everyone, everything’s been relatively smooth so far- I know a lot can happen in mere hours... But, we’re ready for launch!” A few whoops drifted through the room. “After eating, we’ll all be buckling down to get out of Earth’s atmosphere- and off on our adventure!” Aaron ended on a playful note, raising a cup as a toast to everyone. Most joined in, raising their drinks and clinking with those around them. Aaron went and sat at a table, where Amber, River, Jamie, and Benny were. “This is gonna be awesome! I’m so excited-” River spewed, knocking her drink over in the process. Jamie reflexively caught it, only causing a minor spill. Nothing was said about it. “Sorry- I’m sorta freaking out- I mean, we’re going into SPACE!” River bounced in her seat, practically radiating energy. There was a tense aura coming from Jamie, and she eventually just got up and left the table, grumbling about annoyances. River looked a bit taken aback by the action. “Jamie! Where are you going?” River whined, feeling like she might’ve done something wrong. “Away.” Jamie retorted, taking her food out of the mess hall towards one of the halls leading to an upper deck. River was about to get up, likely to chase after her, but Benny laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Take it easy.” He smiled, his tone soft. “I’ll go keep an eye on her.” Amber chuckled, giving a polite nod in the general direction of everyone before taking her own plate to find Jamie. “Jamie can be a little hard to get along with at first; I’ve gone on missions with her before. She’s real sweet though, trust me.” Benny commented, chuckling a bit at the recollection. “Oh, you’ve worked with her before? This is a fresh set of faces for me- aside from you, Jacob and a couple of the sleeping crew members.” Aaron joined in, trying to re-lighten the mood. It worked for the most part, and the mess hall had a soft mumble to it. No one was really all that loud, but it sounded like a normal cafeteria. About an hour later, everyone was finished with their meals and was ready for launch. Aaron guided people to seats to buckle down before taking his own seat. Anubis took care of the launch procedure, running a last minute check-up on the ship before starting the countdown. “Everything is in order! We will be launching in 10-9-8…” Anubis stood in the mess hall, projecting their voice all over the ship so that everyone could hear- seeing as there were seats in different halls. Even from Aaron’s seat, he could hear others from a different hall counting down in time with Anubis. As they reached 1, the entire ship began to shake. Launching was always a bit rocky- Anubis appeared again before Aaron, unphased by the shaking as the ship lifted. “Thank you Anubis-” Aaron smiled, before addressing the crew via the ship’s systems- like an intercom. “Everyone, we are on our way out!” Cheers echoed through the halls, and within minutes, the Monarch Explorer was out of orbit.