Mission 1: Past Echoes

"Indeed, you all have different backgrounds. This is because you have your individual duties.

Jerome, you are the spiritual counsellor. There is something that has been troubling the colonists, and it is hoped that a priest may help.

For Zakk, he will be the field recorder and promoter of our space colonising project. We previously had concerns about unfavourable images of our space workers. You know, possible unprofessionalism and dangerous conditions. But so far, it has reached a point where some colonies want to become independent, both in terms of sustainability and politically. Since our efforts are accelerating, might as well publicise to the mainstream how its like.

And as for Suki, your duty would be harder to explain. But since you mentioned it, it would be good if you keep your eyes and ears to any anti-UA talk. The staff at the colony you will be going to is from the UA, but there is a probability of rivals there. Be it the IA or the Union, it would be bad if they had any influence there.

Before I explain the common mission, I should describe your destination. You will be heading to the neighbouring planet of Mersk. There, you will port at colony Beta. The trip shall take approximately a few weeks. They should be expecting you by the time you arrive.


The projector now shows an image of Mersk, a grey planet with cloudy looking terrain.

He continues. "Mersk's atmosphere is not completely fatal, though breathing the air too long can cause poisoning. It is believed that our ancestors have partially terraformed the planet, and was mainly used for mining, as there is plenty of man-made excavated pits. The whatever machines and structures they used to have there has now either disappeared, or only scraps and debris is left. Leading hypothesis is that some meddling aliens was the culprit of this mass theft and destruction. So far, there is no detectable signs of life, other than our fellow colonists. Lastly, the gravity is lower than on Darst, so mobility should be easier.

And now, I will go over the primary mission. You will see on this slide, there is an image taken from a sattelite that was recently launched to orbit around Mersk. Warning, it may be disturbing."

As he pause for a moment, Mr M taps a key, and the image comes up...

Jerome sees something that looks like terrain casting shadows to form the illusion of a face. Perhaps it's his preparation, or that he is not spooked as easily as others, but he didn't experience the initial shock that others felt.

Mr M finally speaks up. "As you can see, this surface structure have caused the colonists to freak out. It is miles away from the base, but it still is too close for comfort. This may very well mean nothing, but you might also see some specks on this shadow face. Those look like pillars, as they cast a shadow across this large pit that isn't as deep as the old excavated pits. This made even the more skeptical members to believe that this is still a site worth investigating.

Also, I hope you understand now why we kept this hushed. This can cause panic if this picture is leaked to the general public. Our opponents in the Maker's Church and the Union will take this as fuel for their propaganda against us. And I repeat again, we put our weight on the probability that the face is just a coincidence. However, if ever you observe that something is wrong when you get there, do return to the base immediately and give your report. You are just scouts, but if you feel like you have the skill to investigate further, you might as well. The better the results, the better your compensation."

Mr M switch the image to depict the vacsuits.

"Let's not look at the site for much longer. As you may see, we will be providing you with Vacsuits. These will be required for you to wear when you board the ship that you will travel in. It may be a little heavy, but it protects you and supplies you with oxygen when you have to step out into space or the atmosphere of Mersk. You will be given a bag where you can store your items you wish to carry. You may notice that some of you have different number of O2 Cannisters. You can decide how to share it amongst yourselves when the time comes. Zakk's vacsuit, as mentioned, will be a little different, with a mount for the camera near the helmet's connection to the suit, and a supporting mount at his waist to support the gatling gun he will be provided with."

He then switches the slide to the image of a rocket ship.

"This here will be your transport. As you know, we still need the power to lift up a very heavy construct that is a rocket in order to escape Darst's gravity. But once you reach a point in orbit, the shuttle will detach from the rocket fuel tanks. Don't worry about piloting the spacecraft, there will be 3 staff appointed to you, and also there is an onboard AI. I don't suggest chatting with the AI, you may confuse it. Also, you may have heard about the recent-ish invention and implementation of the Accelerator Engine. It is the reason why we have successfully made Exploration Ships reach and set base in 2 other star systems other than our own.

So, that seems about all you should know. Any questions?

It should take roughly 7 weeks to reach Mersk. Originally, before the invention of the Accelerator Engine, it would take about 7 months of travel. Back then, our ships couldn't handle supporting humans to live for 7 months during space travel. And with developments in the sciences of Cryo-Sleep, now our explorers can visit other star systems! We can only thank our government and the scientists for pushing out technology at such a breakneck speed! Oh, and the patented designs for them are still kept highly secret!
Mr M winks at Matsuki.

With no further questions, the newly made party of Spacers are presented with their Vacsuits. Once they wear the bulky suit and bag, they are lead out to of the building and onto a waiting bus. The walk was a bit troublesome due to the weight, but eventually wearing the vacsuit isn't too uncomfortable.

The bus drove the party away from the city, and dropped them off at a heavily secured compound where a rocket ship is standing, ready for launch. Taking a ride on the lift, the party ascends up to the entrance of the ship. Climbing in, the interior can be seen to be orientated vertically.

Inside, there are already 3 men wearing vacsuits as well. They introduce themselves as the supporting staff of the ship. Two of them, Thompson and Bob, have experience in repairing the ship, and one, Jake, will be the pilot. When the party leaves for their mission, they will remain in the ship to look after it. If needed, they can transport them from the colony. Their duty is to take care of the ship, but they are also told to follow the Spacers' instructions within reason.

They then told everyone to prepare for launch by taking their seats and securing the seat belts. Once Jake the pilot confirmed ready for launch to ground control, the count down begins.

"5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
Lift Off!"

The rocket cylinders thrusts powerfully as everyone felt a jerk and the whole ship accelerating. Higher and higher, the rockets take the vessel into the blue and white skies...

Soon the day sky turns into the night of outerspace. The sensation of the Gs have begun to reduce over time.

"Detaching Fuel Compartment. Accelerator Engine now activating... Fully activated. Adjusting trajectory route... Route aligned, turning autopilot on..." The pilot speaks aloud to the dashboard mic as he push buttons and flicks switches. Eventually he removes his seat belt, and gestures for everyone else that it's safe to do so too.