Echoes of Mankind IC

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PVodogaz

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Treloar Noviscum

1076 TC, Terra Prime

One week before Mission Launch.....

"Greetings Suh Treloar."

The voice had that unique sound to it that Treloar Noviscum had come to know as a young child. He turned and smiled at the old man who had elected to discontinue his genetic treatments. The old man was his childhood teacher of the Sciences, Master Kharma.

"Hiloh, Master Kharma, most blessed teacher," said Treloar most reverently and with a bow.

He looked back at his one time teacher and they smiled at each other appraising each other with looks.

"It has been a long time."

"Yes, it has, much to my chagrin, I apologise Master," Treloar responded earnestly. For as a child, his teacher always treated him better than his own parents had and he loved the man dearly like a grandfather.

"And soon you shall be gone again, and when you return I shall be no more," Master Kharma said with a sigh.

Treloar nodded as that was the only truth. When he return and if he returned from the Mission as Commander on Terra 1, many years would have passed on Terra and his teacher would be just, his soul departed to the Archaics. Again he could only dip his head in a slight bow.

"My son, I have come here to see you one last time and to wish you luck. I am also here to palaver one last time with you and tell you something important," said Master Kharma in a throaty voice.

Treloar nodded and said as per custom dictated but also because he wanted too;

"May my place be yours. May my food be yours, May my quaters be yours. Come palaver with me my Master."

He pressed a button on his wrist keypad commlink and they were both transported into Treloar's spacious apartment overseeing the Inland Terrae Sea. They sat around a table decked already with hot steamy trays of Terran food and beverages. They made small talk as both Master Kharma and Treloar spoke of small talk whilst eating the last meal together.

Only when they both had sat back full and slightly sleepy from the food, that Master Kharma spoke of the matter at hand.

"Treloar I wish you luck and I hope you return safely. I will be dead when you return, child. I ask one thing of you to do for me. When you return, at my gene marking coffin that houses my ashes, please tell me of your journey and discoveries."

As Treloar listened, tears welled up in his eyes. How he loved this man, how he would miss him. This would be the last time before the departure he would see his Master and teacher. He nodded. "Yes, Master, you will is commanded thee."

They smiled and looked at each other for long moments silently. Treloar knew in 3 days time he would meet the rest of the Terra 1 crew and in 5 days they would depart. He would miss Terra, but in his heart he was an explorer and was looking forward to witness the wonders off Terra.

For in the end, what mattered was finding LIFE.
 
Terra 1
Terra One awoke and stretched itself along the layers upon layers of circuitry,giving a digital sigh of pleasure.
so much space,so much power,it is exhilirating
It murmers as streams of data awoke,glowing like torches on a dark night,numbers,symbols,Pure Data flowing in and out of itself.It was exhilirating.
The Terra One was a marvel of machinery,and its processing power seemed limitless as Terra 1(AI) explored its new home,slipping through glowing streams of data easily,testing connections for any problems.It found none,and turned its attention outside,camera's positioned discreetly all over the ship and along its outside.
and whats this?
its attentions hifted to a maintenance room,where a man,obviously nervous by his clumsy typing and the sweat its sensors could pick up.
It detached itself for a moment and slipped down to the console the man typed at,reading the streams,which pulsed an angry red................
 
Drel Walker

Drel Walker was looking over the ship as the background noise went on. The noise came from a video screen on the wall in front of him, where his mother's image rattled on about the evils of space travel and weapons technology. He paid it no mind, his attention concentrated on going over the ship's plans.

In a few days, he would be the latest in a long list of commanders he'd worked under, and see what kind of people the crew were. His transfer to this project had been one of the few surprises in his long career. He'd know a transfer was coming up again, his former commander finally handing him off to someone else to deal with.

He hadn't known the man would pull all the strings he could to have Drel shot into space. His Mother's rant came to an end, and he looked up to she her finally give up, as she had since he was a child, and ended the link that had shown her recent anger at him.

He reached over, and activated his sound system, needing the background noise to concentrate. He sat in his room, familiarizing himself with the layout of the ship, the onboard systems, and the technology used in its construction.

He stopped, and sat back, his face blank as he stared across the room to an indeterminate point. He worried at the fact that if they couldn't stand working with him, there would be no transfer. He sighed, a sigh of resignation to what the future would bring, and turned his attention back to acquiring useful skills for his new job.

He would be leaving Terra. Perhaps this time he would find whatever it was he was looking for. That strange thing he somehow knew would fill the emptiness inside him. The emptiness that same feeling told him his parents had put in him. He brushed such thoughts away, and focused all that he had on learning how and what they would eat while away from Terra.
 
Treloar Noviscum

3 Days to Terra 1 Mission Commencement

Ashanti Colliseum - Terra Prime

Mission pre launch dinner

Treloar Noviscum sat in a ante-chamber just before the start of the Mission pre-launch dinner. He was alone except for the attendants going to and through doing the final tests and set up of the main room. He could not believe he was the first one here.

Treloar sat in a plush chair at a elongated table looking out of the window onto the dark landscape beyond. It was very dark as the twin moons Gaia and Pius were on the other side of the Planet. He could not make out much but the view had calmed down his nerves and anxiety.

On the table were the data pads of the crew profiles of his new crew. This was his first and hopefully not last mission as Commanding Officer. He wanted to make the right impression, for his commanding officers as well as his crew. He knew that he would be spending a large amount of time with these peoples on a ship.

Treloar read each personel profile and made sure to highlight parts he wanted to look into more. The thing that sprang out in his thoughts, were that each person picked for the mission was a specialist in a field and were all highly decorated with full honours.

He was dressed in full regalia with his uniform pressed and creased. His eyes shifted to the sliding door as people began to enter.....
 
Drel Walker

Drel entered through the sliding door, his gaze moving about the room before falling on the officer seated at the table. Drel came to attention, and gave a salute. He, like the man seated at the table, was dressed in a newly pressed uniform.

Drel watched the man, whom he assumed to be his new Commander. "Drel Walker, Weapons Specialist, Sir."

His gaze was blank and his voice monotonal. His mind was scattered and away. He hated things like this, but it was a good way to meet the rest of the crew. His mind half focused on the Commander as he looked the man over, noting the data pads on the table.
 
Kitka Seerzman

OOC: Sorry about the delay in posting. Been a bad week for me.

IC: Kitka sighed and tugged at the collar of her uniform. She hated this. She hated the starchness of the dress uniform and she hated huge public gatherings. Her parents had seen to that.

Her parents, the couple known as the two people most against the space missions, the first that she was about to go on. They had made a name for themselves in their zeal to see that it never happened...and they had made it impossible for their daughter to go into any public place without heads turning and murmuring starting behind her back. They had made her time in the Academy a hell and they had almost made it impossible for her to go on this mission. Who in their right mind wants to put the daughter of the people most responsible for putting down the Space Program into their ranks? Sabatage was never mentioned but you could almost see the wheels running in the back of everyone's mind.

Some of the known things that her parents had done had been borderline illegal...some that no one knew about had been over the line. How far did one have to go to make the connection that they might even go to the length of placing their only daughter into the Academy for the express purpose of causing the Space Program to fail. Not too damn much by the looks she was often given.

Not that her parents had announced that Kitka was in the program. Gods knows they were embarrassed and disappointed to the point of not acknowledging her to anyone. But news and military sources could find out anything. Including your birthright. And it had made Kitka's life, her goal of distancing herself from her parent's and brother's radical views, almost impossible.

And now she was about to head into a swarm of military and civilian personel, to subject herself to probing stares and whispers behind her back. To suspisions from everyone and, it was likely, even from her new commander. She had been a last second replacement when the leading Scientist on board had had a family emergency. She was the most qualified and the one who could pack up and leave within such a short amount of time. She had also had it implied by those who interviewed her prior to her getting the assignment that she would be watched very carefully and had better not step a toe out of line. Like that wasn't the way her life ran daily.

With a huge sigh, Kitka exited the bathroom where she had been telling herself she was checking her appearance. She had gone there right after coming into the dinner. If she had her way she would have turned around and gone home and not appeared again until launch time. If this hadn't been a direct order in the first place.

Stepping out into the gathering throng of people, she looked over at the crew table. With any luck all of the others would be there and she could slip in almost unnoticed. Luck hadn't been on her side lately and tonight proved no difference. There was only one other there, talking to someone who seemed to be in charge. Probably the commander. Damn! Oh, well, too late to back out now.

Steeling up her courage, she walked over to the table and gave a sharp salute, then stood at attention. "Kitka Seerzman, First Scientist, Sir" She said in a short, clipped, perfessional tone.
 
Terra 1
terra 1 turned its attention,or rather,split it,sensors ranging throughout the ship,examining all that entered or left,cameras moving wiht silent whirrs,internal databanks showing if a member was authorized.
meanwhile the male at the terminal obviously though of Terra 1 as a simple computer.
hmmph.
Terra 1,with the lazy movement of a man swatting away an insect shattered the harmful codes being downloaded,deleting them instantly.Luckily the ship was still tied to the main CPU of the port,and from there on to the planets connected internet,pulling up personal folders,the man's stats scrolling by,a little extensive as he was a very outspoken opposer to Terra 1 and hence,its CPU,namely,It.
The Man cursed and fumbled at the terminal as security was called and in a short unceremonious way subdued him and dragged him away from the small terminal.
Terra 1,if it had been a human behind a desk,would have shuffled the papers on his desk and turned away,sending a small message to the Commander's chair data-pad updating him on the situation and also including the man's personal files.
It also sent the same message to the head security officer by way of the data-pad that hangs off of any crew members hips.(just making a leap to put stuff in,hope you dont mind)
 
Treloar Noviscum

Treloar stood up as he recognised the first of the people to enter. The first was Drel Walker from the data pads. Treloar watched him observing the Officer as he approached in a calm cool manner. The Officer came close and came to attention giving a proper salute. This registered approval in Treloar's eyes.

"Drel Walker, Weapons Specialist, Sir."

"I know Officer Walker. I am as you probably know the Commander of Terra 1 on its maiden voyage and welcome to a part of history," answered Treloar.

Behind Drel Walker came more people, more of his crew as the data pad's had summized. A young attractive lady came up to them, looking a bit dazed by the events....Treloar didn't blame her, he did to but he had kept his feelings more so under control.

"Kitka Seerzman, First Scientist, Sir"

Treloar nodded at the First Officer, he had read her information pad and liked what he read. "Welcome First Scientist, you come highly recommended, I lookforward to working with you."

And he waited for the others...only a few more and then they could start the dinner and preliminaries.
 
Drel Walker

Drel turned his gaze, looking over Kitka Seerzman. He appraised her the same as he had the commander. It was always the details that screamed out for attention. Once he had looked her over, his gaze moved to a void in space, and he thought.

Kitka Seerzman. Seerzman. Now why did that name sound familiar? It certainly wasn't anything he'd,...Ahhh, that was it. He turned to her, watching her face. "Seerzman, huh? Like the Seerzman spearheading the anti-space program?"

His voice was monotonal, cold. He'd often been told that people hated listening to him because of the way he talked, but he had never seen a reason to change. Gerard Seerzman, that's where he'd heard that name before. A few days ago, when his mother had harped on about how space travel was evil and so was he, she'd said that Gerard Seerzman was going to shut it down, and that his group had the power of righteousness behind them.

Such drivel was always annoying, but he'd come to expect it from his parents.
 
Kitka Seerzman

Kitka nodded at the commander's greeting and was about to take her assigned place when the man before her, what was his name? Ah yes, Drel...Drel Walker. When Drel Walker had spoken up. For a moment she had been surprised by the Commander's reaction. No mention of her parents, no mention of any threat she might be to the mission. Whether it was tact or something else she had been grateful to bypass the subject and was almost looking forward to the meal. But, oh no, there had to be someone who had too good of a memory, who couldn't keep their mouth closed.

Turning slowly and letting a gaze that was just as icy as his voice travel up and down her new shipmate, Kitka replied. "Kitka Seerzman. As in the First Scientist on this mission. The woman who is going to be monitoring space for any sign of danger to the crew, including you. Who is going to be taking care of any nasties that might wish to creep on board or attack the ship and who is going to try and bring everyone back just as healthy and in once piece when they left."

"The Kitka Seersman who graduated in the top of her class in science and is more than qualified for the position. And that, Mr WAlker, is how you can think of me from now on until the conclusion of the mission."

Finishing her reply in clipped tones, she sat down in her seat, trying to breath normally, to relax and not let her parent's idiotic meddlings ruin yet another evening.
 
Loril Harmony

Loril left her vehicle in the hands of a valet and rushed up the stairs, pushing the stray hairs back into the bun on her head. Of all the days to be late! Oh, why had she kept telling the vid clock to give her five more minutes? Why had she enabled that damn feature anyway? Why had she stayed up so late last night and into this morning studying the helms control? She knew them back to front and could pilot from them in her sleep.

But she knew why, she had to be prepared for this mission. If anything were to go majorly wrong it would be at her end of the controls. And she wasn't about to put lives in danger because she slacked off on studying. So, here she was making a bad impression on her Commander. A bad first impression on her commander, she corrected herself. It had better get better than this...and fast.

Rushing past the servicemen in the doorway and pausing just long enough to flash them a service badge stating that she was supposed to be here, she ran into the huge hall and only slowed down when she came in sight of the tables. Giving her uniform one more brush with her hands and trying fruitlessly to tidy her hair, she took a deep breath and approached the table.

Coming up to it, she addressed the man whose rank on his uniform named his as Commander. With a salute that was not exactly regulation, she said breathlessly,"Loril Harmony, First Helmsman, Sir."
 
Drel Walker

Drel sat across from her, his interest perked. He focused on her, for the time being, watching her as he seated himself. So, he was right. Probably a close relation, too. He almost wished he'd cared enough to look into his fellow crew members before leaving, but preferred to see and judge them for himself, without the taint of data collected by diversified sources.

"Ahh, he is family then? Can't say I blame you for not wanting to talk about it, though. My own family gives me enough problems, complaining about how my work only adds to a growing evil and decay in our,...what is they call Terra? Oh, yes, 'Humanity's glorious new Utopia.' At least they don't have fanatical followers who believe that drivel they spew out on the 'evils' of space travel and weapons technology. But I suppose it could have been worse, after all, it seems you were smart enough to realize all of that nonsense for what it was. Too many people these days are succumbing to that nonsense, as if we'd repeat our history seeing what we had done wrong, or, even worse, that some form of technology was 'evil'."

He shifted his gaze to the wall behind her, over her right shoulder. "As if a tool could be evil. I can see it now, a hammer who wants to bring about the end of humanity,..."
 
KItka Seerzman

KItka looked back over at Drel Walker. This time she took a better look at him without the arrogance she had protrayed before. He was handsome, she guessed though her experience with men was limited due to keeping herself away from just about everyone who would know anything about her parents. Which, thanks to their fanatical singlemindedness, included just about everyone on the planet. She notieced now that he, too, seemed one that kept to himself and put the world at a distance. She wondered what in his life had made him make that choice. It seemed his parents, too, had something to do with it.

Rolling her eyes at his description of their view of the space program, so much like her own parents, she decided to answer him. "The problem that most people do not see is that, if we cannot understand why our ancestors made their mistake we will end up repeating it. So much of our history is lost. So much is not known. Exploration of space is not evil and neither is the ship or the program itself. It was the humans who made the mistake. It all boils down to how the tool is used, not the tool itself."

She gave a small snort of disgust. "And if they don[t have enough faith in me to realize that I am not going to go out to destroy their precious world than they can just hang on to their fears and let them twist them into knots. Who knows? There might even be something out there that can benifit their precious 'Utopia'."

And wouldn't that make them eat their words? Kitka thought to herself with a self satisfied smile as she looked up to see another crewmember approaching.
 
Treloar Noviscum

Treloar watched his assembling crew and looked them over. They were a solid bunch of people who has excelled in their chosen field. He felt he had the right crew and would enjoy being with them on this mission.

"Seerzman, huh? Like the Seerzman spearheading the anti-space program?" That had been Drel's question.

Security had been increased with the threats of these anti mission groups. He had read and been briefed about Gerard Seerzman, Kitka's relative. Would his group do anything against the mission, now that Kitka was a mission member? That would have to play itself out for good or ill. Treloar looked at Kitka, knowing he would have to talk to her privately. But he had not chosen to say anything aloud.

But Drel had and now Treloar still stood watching them both. So had everyone else, a silence stilled on the table. When Kitka responded it was in a icy tone that made Treloar take note closely. Her answer was clean and precise to the point. Having said her say, Kitka who was the Chief Science Officer sat down in a calm manner.

Treloar realised that they were waiting for one last person and that was the 1st Helmsman (or person has he said).

Where is she?

His attention was drawn back to the table and situation at hand. Drel and Kitka were staring at each other probably trying to ascertain each other's strength and weaknesses. Treloar decided he would step in if it got anyworse. He would be the Commander if it was called for, even if the Mission had not begun as yet.

But the coolness had dissipated and they regarded each other far more conciliatory. Maybe this would work out, he thought to himself.

It was at that moment that the last member appeared in Loril Harmony. She looked somewhat frazzled and his sides of the lips curled up in a smile.

"Well there you are Officer Harmony, glad you could join us."

He looked at her and bade her to sit down and continued.

"Now we can begin the post mission briefing, and then Dinner will be served and we can get to know each other better throughout the night."
 
Drel Walker

Drel awarded Kitka a rare show of emotion as she mentioned everything boiling down to how a tool was used. He smiled, a small, sincere sign of approval and happiness. And then it was gone. His eyes moved, regarding the new crewperson to arrive. He turned his gaze back towards Kitka again.

"Exactly. They are far too happy to blind themselves to truth, rather than seek to improve things. They could their minds in thoughtless devotion to high-sounding but hollow beliefs and then complain that those of us who think and seek to fulfill our potential are destroying their perfection, by letting light shine in their dark existance."

He turned to the helmsperson, the last of their little group to arrive, for now. He nodded towards her. "Good evening, Loril. I am Drel Walker, Weapons Specialist."

He took her in, observing in his own odd, calculating way. His attention was diverted by their Commander. It wasn't so much what he was talking about, but what he was saying that drew his attention.

"Pre, Sir. Though a briefing always comes before a mission, so the phraseology is redundant." He sat, watching his Commander as he gave the man a lecture of his speech. It really wasn't his place to do so, but his attention had been attracted to the error, and he had want, at the moment, to correct him. At other times he might have completely ignored the remark, as most would, knowing fully what he meant. But his wandering mind often made him somewhat unpredictable, and often rude.
 
Kitka Seerzman

Kitka nodded in agreement with Drel's observations but, before she could respond, he was greeting the new crew person, as was the commander. Introducing herself as well, she took a good look at the woman and hoped she was more competent at the helm than she looked.

But the commander had called the briefing to order and she took out her electronic pad that was kept at her side, preparing to take notes or report on her own station if need be.
 
Loril Harmony

Loril smiled at the other crew and sat down, extending her hand toward Drel Walker as he introduced himself and managing to knock over her own water glass in the process.

With a gasp of dismay, she began to sponge it up with her napkin and offer profuse apologies for her clumsiness.

"I'm sorry," She said as she worked away at the growing spot,"So clumsy of me. Just...just a minute and I'll have it cleaned up right away."

Flustered now more than ever, she then managed to knock over her silverware with her elbow and abandoned her mop up job to pick it up from the floor, knocking her head against the table as she rose with it in her hand.

With a yelp, she put her hand to her head and she could feel her bun coming even more undone. Red with embarrassment, she swallowed and dropped her silverware onto the table again.

"Yes, a breifing," She mumbled as she fumbled with her own notepad and pushing her plate aside to lay it down on a spot that wasn't wet and wishing the ground would open up and swallow her right then and there.
 
Treloar Noviscum

Treloar waited as Officer Loril sat down and in a effort to shake Drel's hand she tipped over the glass of Terran Water. A hint of a smile played at the corners of his lips as his amusement showed and then he regained control and kept a steady straight face. He waited for a few seconds as they watched the continuing accidents Loril was partaking in whilst she tried to clean up the mess she had cause almost fruitlessly as all her attempts ended up causing more mess.

"Officer Harmony, that's fine, just relax, calm down," he smiled at her.

At that moment Drel had decided quite rightly to correct his mistake. Even though Officer Drel was correct, Treloar was still a little annoyed by creating that mistake and being corrected in front of his future colleagues.

"Thankyou Officer Walker. In my haste I meant to say pre not post mission. Now shall we continue?"

With that Treloar sat down at the table and looked at all of his mission crew and continued; "You all have been chosen for your suberp abilities and your excellence in your chosen fields. In front of you on the table, each of you have been given a Mission dossier within the data pad. Tomorrow at 0830 we will be transported to Terran Orbit where the Terra 1 awaits. Tomorrow we will settle in and have a orientation of the ship and each of you shall be able to see your assigned posts on the command bridge. And I believe the AI will be operational and we will be able to meet it. Tonight and tomorrow will be the last time we will see our family/loved one's for a while, so say your goodbye's whilst you all still can. All points are covered in the Mission dossier. Before I finish I would like to say, I look forward to being a commander of a fine set of people as crew. Are there any questions?"

Treloar looked around the table at each of them, eye contact met with each and everyone of the new crew. He realised the wait staff serving Dinner were almost ready.
 
Kitka

Kitka met the commander's eyes frankly before bending to her pad and making notes upon it. As she worked, she said in a steady, calm and non commental voice.

"I have no family to say good bye to. An early night will suit me fine and you can rest assured that I shall be ready to board on time."

Pausing in her note taking, she bit her lip in an uncharacteristic way. If she knew her father and mother, they would already know the time of departure and would be waiting with a last ditch effort at stopping it. Maybe she would speak to the commander alone after this dinner and see if they could not arrange for the crew to get on at an earlier time and so foil the anti-space efforts that were, undoubtably, already underway.

Looking toward the doors, she wondered why none of her family or their followers were bursting into the room spouting off their paranoid preachings to one and all. Laying low was never one of their strong points. She just hoped security was really that tight that no one could get in.
 
Loril

Loril looked up from her own pad and smiled at Kitka. "Oh!" She said with a bit of sadness in her voice,"I don't have any family either. I know just how you feel." The truth was that Loril had been so engrossed in her studies of the ship that she hadn't bothered to listen much to what those that objected to the mission were saying, and definately not enough to connect Kitka to any of them. And she had certaintly not found the time to peruse the files of her crewmates and so thought Kitka was speaking literally.

Turning to the commander, she said,"Sir, I have been going over the systems and practicing on the simulator. I am sure you know that. I would like some time to familiarize myself with the actual systems before we leave, though. Will there be enough time for that?"
 
Drel Walker

Drel had no loved ones. He'd probably spent the night gathering the last of his unfinished projects to make up what personal items space he had left, and then clean his personal weapons preparing for tomorrow's demonstration. He had no doubt there would be a demonstration. And as long as they thought him evil, he wasn't going to bother trying to change they closed little minds. He looked at the two women, taking them in.

Kitka seemed a remarkable woman. She was seperating all ties with her former family, decided to make it own her own. To prove that she was right and they were wrong they only way anyone could: by living their lives. She had beautiful eyes, he decided, and moved on. Loril, on the other hand, seemed to be a wandering hazard zone. He liked her immediately.

He'd learned that people like that were usually the most interesting people to be around. If you could convince them to stop apologizing for everything, that is.

He looked at the Commander. "Yes, I have a question. To you happen to know what the AI is like? A bland ship, or did they try to spice up our voyage with a personality?"
 
Kitka

Kitka groaned inwardly. That was all she needed, an AI that would argue every decision she made. But then again, that was what an AI was for. To have the intelligence to know a bad decision when it was made by it's human counterpart. The only problem was that sometimes you needed human intuition as well.

"And do we have an override button just in case?" She added with a roll of her eyes.
 
Treloar Noviscum

Commander Treloar looked at Officer Drel as he asked his question and continued to look at him as Treloar answered;

"I believe the AI is a remodulated improvement on the dormant Discovery AI. Extensive programming and personality reprogamming took place on the Discovery. I have been told that the AI will not be bland, but quite the opposite. I am actually looking forward to meeting the AI as much as seeing what Terra 1 looks like inside and out. Incase the AI goes wrong, I have been given a over-ride code that enables me to shut down the personality side of the AI, that was not available on the Discovery."

He smiled at his crew and continued; "Shall we eat? I believe they have prepared us a feast for our last night on Terra for quite awhile."

The Commander motioned to the wait staff who went into action. The dinner was a 3 course meal with fine red Terran wine or water. Treloar had a fine oak flavoured red wine from the finest Devoldt Family Winery Resort on the far side of Terra. The entrie was assorted table snacks. The main course was a roast pastrel which was a native Terran animal that tasted between a chicken and pork, with a tender touch to it. Side plates of greens and legumes and salad came with it. The desert was Terran mousse with a side helping of ice-creme. Treloar enjoyed the dinner and the crew idled in small chat to get to know each other. He immediately liked his crew and was at ease with them.

Treloar took a table serviette and dabbled the sides of his lips fully sated and then took up the last of his wine and sipped it. "Yes, a early night is called for, for me as well. If anyone wants to approach me one on one I am always approachable. Please read your Mission Brief on the Data Pads you each recieved and make sure you are on time at 0830. Until then, I bid one and all good sleeping."

He stood and smiled at his crew and left them to talk or leave, whatever suited their fancy. Treloar in the background, could hear the Terran Opus Band play their current hit song 'Terra Supremo'. He hummed to it as Treloar walked to a lounge in the corner and took out his data-pad and re-read the Mission Brief for a 4th time.
 
Kitka

Kitka excused herself after the dinner and went out to corner the commander for a one-on-one. She had not eaten much of the dinner, though what she had eaten was very good. She did not believe in overindulging in anything. She had had a lifetime of watching the people in her life going overboard on every little thing to have a taste for overindulgence.

Catching up with him, she said what she had to say in a frank and open manner. "Commander. If I might address a subject that we are both aware that I am very close to? It's the anti-space movement. I am sure you have gone over my files. You know all the precautions that have been sited on them. How I might be a potential risk to the mission due to my connections with the leaders of the movment."

"I could reassure you with my last breath that I pose no harm to the mission but it hasn't ever done me any good before. I am on this mission because of a fluke, a roll of fate you might call it. But, whether I had made it or not I would want to warn whomever was in charge of it. I don't think that they are taking the leaders of the anti-space movment seriously. I don't think that security is strong enough."

"I know these people and I can tell you that they will do their best to try and prevent the mission from happening up to the last moment. I respectfully suggest that we convene the crew at an earlier time than planned and without broad knowledge of the fact that we are doing so. That way we will be inside the craft before the protesters show up. Also, I suggest that we not make a big fuss over boarding. I know that the space program has been long in coming and that it is a very big deal to the governement. And that they are counting on the good press. But I guarentee that if we go in as planned, something is going to happen. If the government thinks that it's wide publicity for them...how much more so would it be to the protesters should they pull something do delay the launch in a spectacular way?"

"And the government may think that having me on board will prevent them from doing something drastic. But I warn you, if I were to go down in the name of the cause, they would milk it for all it was worth. They would be seen as someone who had sacrificed for a good cause and I would be nothing but a martyr and a catalyst for even more drastic protest measures."
 
Drel Walker

Drel was quiet for the rest of the evening, adding a few words in when it was called for. For the most part, though, he was silent. He watched and absorbed what happened.

He had the same wine as the Commander, and enjoyed a wide sampling of food. As he ate, he assisted Loril in getting food so she wouldn't accidentally tip over the whole table or something else as unfortunate.

Twice during the evening he quietly reached out, moving her glass so she wouldn't knock it over. At the end of the evening, he bade a good night to Commander Treloar and Kitka as they felt. He looked after her for a moment, and then got to his feet, taking his data pad.

"Well, I think I shall be off. Good evening, Loril. I hope you have a good sleeping. I shall see you tomorrow, at 0800, at the launch."

He stressed the earlier time, aware of how late she'd been that evening. He turned, and began to slowly make his way home, looking over the Mission Dossier on the data pad he'd been given.
 
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