Futuristic The Expedition to Old Earth: Chapter One

[LeelLu]

Spencer Harrow
​

Throughout the many conversations held around the table, Spencer could only keep up with whatever was hands on. Her hands, deep in her pockets, fiddled with her own fingers in awkward silence. The Major's words had peaked her interest from the moment an unfamiliar type of technology was mentioned. It seemed her curiosity had paid off, and an eager smile tugged on the corners of her lips. It was no lie that it would be a mission not lacking danger. Luckily, however, she trusted Rene's choice in crew and so Spencer would assume the crew would learn to trust her the way they seemed to trust William's tech even if her main area of work would be within their vessel.

Finally breaking the silence, Spencer's low, but confident voice followed up Isabel's question with one of her own. The interests of the crew seemed to fit in well with their positions and specializations for the mission. No surprise, and so Spencer followed suit. " While we are at it, I would love more details than what has already been offered about the vessel."

Her mind was already in the planning phase. Details of construction, safety and technology. Especially the technology. True, the technology at Hawthorne Technologies was the best she had worked with - but unknown alien technology? That boggled her mind in the best way possible.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Ignoring Baxter, something Rene already seemed to be getting quite proficient at, she looked to Isabel and Spencer who had posed a question each.

"Without getting too bogged down in the science, it is our employer's belief that the elements contained within the jump gates is the same as the power source on earth. Whereas the gates are harnessed specifically for transporting ships, it is believed the source we're searching for has not and can potentially be mined, for lack of a better word."

"As for our It's ship," Myn said, leaning forward, "It's a retrofitted Agincourt." He let the word hang in the air.

An Agincourt, pride of the Albion Navy. A Frigate fast enough to outrun almost anything flying and packing enough deceptive stopping power to make anyone question their decision to take the little ship on. Technology like that shouldn't have been available outside of the Coalition but somehow the expedition had acquired one. Rene wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it for herself.

"We're departing 0900 hours tomorrow, station time," Rene said, tapping her watch for emphasis as she cut back in. "If you're not on the ship by then, we won't be waiting."

"In the meantime, the ship will be ready for anyone who wants to join us between now and then, Dock 32-B. Our employer has set up a tab at the bar, a token of appreciation for hearing us out and hopefully, joining our little expedition." She allowed herselfa small smirk, "Just don't hit the drink too hard. I'm hoping to see you all looking lively tomorrow."

 

[Short Round]

For the first time in a while, Mitchell smiled with genuine excitement, an ear-to-ear grin that lacked his usual snarky wit. A goddamn Agincourt? For a second, he was sure that he'd broken through one sonic barrier too many; were his ears finally busted? It was almost too good to be true. In all honesty, Mitch would have given up his pay just for the honor of flying the ship. He'd flown top-of-the-line Coalition ships before, but if the Agincourt was as good as it was advertised, it'd make the rest of the Navy look like a pile of rusty hulks. Tapping his foot eagerly against the floor, Mitch perked up and listened attentively to the rest of Rene's instructions. Although he usually would've exploited the offer of pre-paid drinks, the thought of staying in the lounge suddenly seemed like a bad joke.

Once again blessed with a purpose, Mitchell's extensive experience resurfaced in his mannerisms, previously hidden by his boredom and slack appearance. The only thing missing was a flight suit. His old flight checklists, procedures, and traditions started lining up inside his head. Energetically jumping out of the booth, he turned to Rene, itching to get started. "Mind if I grab my stuff and head on down to the dock with you guys? If you don't mind, I'd love to get a feel for what I'll be flying."

Shannon Trevor

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Taking one last drag on his cancer stick, Dorian got up from the booth and made his way down to the bar proper. After a few moments with chatting with the bartender, he was given a rather rustic looking bottle. If one looked carefully upon it, they could see the name "Steel-baron Distillery". One of the more reputable and desired bourbon distillers in the coalition. Upon receiving the bottle, the former ranger left.

Two Hours pass, and Dorian is once more clad in his SEER Armor, hefting two duffel bags. One of them clearly filled to the brim with weapons and gear, the other clothes and sundry items. Taking a deep breath of the recycled air of the station, Dorian marched towards the Agincourt vessel, and made his way aboard his new home for the foreseeable future. It didn't take him long to find the armory, where he quickly took up residence. This was easily done by simply setting up a hammock and then fortifying the section with crates and weapon cases. "Home sweet home..." He said to himself before lighting up another smoke and set to work cleaning his gear.

 

[LeelLu]

Spencer Harrow
​

An Agincourt? Had she heard that correctly? At a loss for words, Spencer's jaw unhinged and left her mouth open in awe. Her already doe-like wide, green eyes widenened even further. As an employee and Head Director of her own branch at Hawthorne Technologies she was used to dealing with high-end products and equipment. An Agincourt was something she had yet to get her hands on. It took a moment for her to realize she was gaping at the company of others and slammed her mouth shut. Fiddling fingers made their way into the small fanny-pack like bag and brought out a small book-like pad. Agincourt. It was quickly scribbled down with hasty movements of her mere finger, making it difficult to read to anyone else but the writer - but the file was saved at the tap of another finger and easily dropped back into the bag.

"I would like to get a look at the vessel as soon as possible," Spencer eagery added and raised a finger as if volunteering. "It would be convenient to get a look at what I.. Uh.. We will be working on."

Most of the equipment had been sent here in advance, though Spencer figured a ship like theirs would provide much more than she had initially imagined. She was beaming with excitement and curiosity. This was exactly the type of opportunity she had been hungry for.

 

[Scavenger]

Reigning in her curiosity Isabel nodded at Rene's description, she was perfectly correct of course now was not the time for Issy to be trying to learn about their mission. Though the link with the jumpgates made the consortium's previous actions make more sense Issy had been puzzling over it's interest in FTL tech for several sleepless nights.

Isabel was one of the few non combat personel who showed no reaction to the announcement of the ship. Not only had she served on similarly advanced vessels in the past but this was one of the few bits of information that she knew before hand afterall it's impossible to get a top of the line military ship out of the military and to a slightly backwater station with no digital trail. She did however want to see what they had reffitted on it, the original agincourt had some very odd design decisions to allow for the specs that the military wanted, if the consortium had been smart it would only look like an Agincourt on the outside.

Mitch's excitement got a soft smile from Issy especially his speedy exit from the booth, she was half expecting him to lift of the floor from the barely constrained energy in his body. Dorian by comparisson was very dour as he left the booth, not pausing to even say a temporary goodbye before walking over to the bar. Spencer's response was back up to the Mitch end of the energy spectrum all of that nervousness suddenly forming into excitement, she looked like she might faint any second as she rapidly fiddled with a small pad.

Issy kept her emotions thoroughly in the middle of the playing field looking over to Rene "Miss Vasseur are you going to be headed back to the ship now, or will you be remaining a while first?"

 

[Bronco]

Baxter didn't know his ships very well. Sure, he'd been stationed on plenty of the coalition's vessels, but none that were small (and nimble) enough to restrict the inclusion of a drop pod bay. That and there's only a finite amount of models approved by the Navy for service, none of which were that remarkable outside of their armor and firepower ratings. To put it bluntly, Baxter's ride's were usually rather mainstream and mass produced. The fact that the crew's investors were providing a more refined craft only added to his sense that this would be far from any kind of "military" operation.

He turned to the pilot as he stood, "Uh, Mitch right? I take it this ain't your average rust bucket we're piling into," hoping to get a better idea of the craft from the man, he slung his rucksack over a shoulder.

The crew had begun to disperse, but before they did he also needed to settle something with one other member. Awaiting his answer from Mitch, he'd side eye Isabel and give her a quick nod. Before anything, even settling in, he'd want to know if there'd be more for him to worry about than simply the mission. He figured the corps didn't take to kindly to his desertion, and it would stand to reason that their naval counterparts harbored the same feelings.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Rene looked at her watch after Isabel's question. "No time like the present." With that, the table began to disperse. Black made for the bar and Hawthorne slipped away quietly. Rene knew he had supplies to pick up including one rather intruiging piece of kit she was keen to see.

A few minutes later the rest of the crew had extracted themselves from the club and now followed Rene toward the docks. The journey to the ship wasn't long. A short walk brought them to an elevator which took them down into the depths of the station. A brief tram ride took the crew directly to Docking Station 32.

The Relentless was kept away from prying eyes on a private dock, 32-B, protected by a thick door unlocked with a code.

Although she had seen the ship countless times since accepting the job, Rene still slowed her pace to take in the view. It wasn't a large craft. Sleek and optimised for speed, she had been remodelled to hold a crew of up to ten. Thin and long in body, a pair of forked wings either side of the fuselage each held a primary and secondary thruster. Beneath each wing, missiles sat primed and ready should any pirate or slaver try their luck. A Corstein FTL drive, used to propel the ship across the vast distances between the jump gates and the Relentless's eventual destination nestled at the rear of the hull.

"Welcome aboard," Rene said, looking over her shoulder to her crew.

 

[Short Round]

Mitch turned to Baxter and smiled. He was happy that Baxter had decided to talk to him, even though the guy had basically committed blasphemy by calling the Agincourt a rust bucket. "Mitchell Bailey, that's me. As for the rust bucket, nothing could be farther from the truth. The things are top-of-the-shelf, stuff a regular navy monkey like me wouldn't dare to dream of flying in a million years. Think along the lines of a very refined, luxury sports bucket."

As the crew made their way towards the dock, Mitch rattled off some little facts about the Agincourt to Baxter. Engine specs, armaments, that kind of stuff. As they reached the elevator that led to the dock, Mitch still hadn't run out of things to fanboy over. Realizing that he'd been babbling a little too much, Mitch noticed the glances Baxter was giving Isabel. It seemed like the two had stuff to discuss, so Mitch cut his tirade short. "Anyway, suffice to say it should get us from Point A to Point B in more than enough style. Sorry for geeking out, I'm just kinda buzzed and really excited."

As Rene punched in the code for the blast doors, Mitch anxiously brushed a few strands of his brown hair back into place while he smoothed a few wrinkles in his gaudy shirt. When the doors hissed and slid open, Mitch got his first view of the Relentless as the crew ambled towards it. Hefting his duffle bag over his shoulder, he couldn't help another smile. It was like Christmas. Running his eyes over the fuselage, he noted little things that definitely seemed to be new; the retrofitting that had been mentioned previously. Although it slightly pained him to see the alien modifications, he was sure that they would make the ship perform at its maximum capacity.

Bronco

 

[LeelLu]

Spencer Harrow
​

It took only a moment for the crowd to disperse from the table. Her boss, Mr. Hawthorne, had his own business as Spencer was used to - just like she had her own with the ship they would venture on. The few that remained seemed to have business aboard the ship. Spencer hung back a bit following the group to the docks. By the looks of it, the ship was protected from the common eye. As their guide, Rene, unlocked the thick steel doors with a code, Spencer brought out her high-tech notebook once again. Although this time, she also pulled out a pair of glasses with a thick, black frame. She placed them safely over her nose and behind her ears, and the contact with her thumb on the side made it flash a soft hue of blue before returning to their normal state of normal glasses. Spencer blinked a few times to get used to the new layout before letting out a quiet gasp at the sight of their vessel.

"She is absolutely beautiful. Wow." Spencer said quietly under her breath and slowed her pace to take in the whole ship's exterior. After a moment of being blown away by the beautiful vessel, Spencer quickly came to her senses and tapped the left-side of her glasses once with her index-finger. The glasses gave a soft 'beep' and a recording-panel appeared on her tech-pad where she could do quick scans of the vessel, zoom in, out, focus on details and write quick notes as they went. A useful device for a mechanic, developed by herself. She turned to her closest companion, who happened to be Mitch, and tapped his shoulder in excitement.

"Isn't this just a dream come true?" she whispered, almost teary eyed at the sight. Fingers tapped hastily over her pad to do a quick scan of the thrusters, the FTL drive and exterior mechanisms before they would enter the vessel to continue the tour. Of course, the scans would only give her visual information - but it would prove useful in the long run.

Short Round

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Rene led the crew up the open ramp of the cargo bay door. The bay itself was largely empty, save for the Kodiak ATV stored in the centre which Myn nodded towards. "Scout Rover," he explained, pointing a thumb towards the vehicle.

Most of the military personnel on the crew would have rode on one a Kodiak at one point or another. Compared to the Relentless, The Kodiak was an ugly beast. Its squat cabin was protected with thick grey armour and perched atop four large, sturdy wheels.A 155mm cannon turret on the roof of the Kodiak completed the look.

Rene patted the side of the Kodiak with fondness. She had spent more times riding in Kodiak's than she cared to remember but they had never let her down. It was a testament to the quality of the vehicle that the financiers had opted for it rather than a newer model of military ATV. "The armour is tough enough to withstand bullets, shell fire, high drops, extreme temperature and rough terrain," Myn explained "The wheels are independently reversible , to allow for quick direction change when we need to get the hell away from something and it even has a pair of thrusters built in, if we require to be dropped in from the ship. In other words, its exactly what we need to visit Earth."

Rene herded the crew to the far end of the cargo bay where two ladders and an open elevator led to a gantry one floor above. She waited until everyone had climbed up to the gantry "Engine room," she explained as the door automatically slid open.


The heart of the Relentless hummed steadily as the crew entered. Standing two floors high, it was a spherical contraption, protected by a circle of consoles around the outer edge that allowed its engineer to perform the multitude of checks and reports to keep it running as it should. Rene had never been much interested in the mechanics of ships but even she could appreciate a machine that could push the ship up to thirteen light years per day while also running life support, artificial gravity, weapons and the countless necessities needed for a crew to be comfortable in the vacuum of space.

With a nod of the head, Rene led the crew back out onto the gantry overlooking the cargo bay and through a set of double doors. "You can think of this floor as the working part of the ship," she said. The crew were now standing in an open area dominated by a circular table, with four blank holoscreens hovering above it. "Briefing area." Two sets of stairs led to the floor above while at the opposite end of the room, two open doors flanked a third locked one. The former Major pointed to the left, "Armoury," and then the right, "Tech lab. Any artefacts we find, we'll store in there."

Not taking the time to stop, knowing the crew had plenty of time to get familiar with the layout of the ship, Rene walked toward a door that led into a short, narrow corridor holding a door to an escape hatch on either side before opening up to the bridge itself.

The Captain's position was slightly raised above the rest of the bridge with a single console placed beside it that would allow Rene to receive reports and updates as they came in. The flight controls were set a few feet in front of the Captain's position and overlooked a wide window that took in the bottom of Helios station and the dark vacuum of space beyond.

"Any questions so far?"

 

[Shannon Trevor]

There had been none. The tour finished and the crew were free to acquaint themselves with their new ship. With the arrival of Black a couple of hours later, the only member of the roster that was missing was Hawthorne, which was due the following morning.

Knowing a long day was ahead, Rene had gotten her head down early, secreted away in the luxury of the expansive Captain's quarters. She had only just stepped out of a steaming hot shower when her personal slate chimed with a message from Myn.

'You're required in the cargo bay.' Was all his message had said.

Rene arrived a few minutes later attired casually in a dark tank top and matching pants. Othic nodded to the young woman waiting with him. The stranger took her time, studying the Kodiak before looking to Rene. "I'm looking for a Captain Vasseur." She was a slender thing, clad in a bright orange jumpsuit at least two sizes too big, with jet black hair styled into a pixie cut and a jaw that jutted out with an air of defiance.

"That'd be me," Rene replied, folding her muscular arms across her chest, unimpressed by the kid's attitude.

The woman jerked her thumb behind her. "Dock master's looking for you."

Rene's brow furrowed as she stood herself up straight. "In regards to what?" She asked. On a job like this, it was essential that everything was squared away to save on complications. Rene had been thorough on every piece of admin and payment required to have the Relentless harboured safely on the private dock.

The woman shrugged and motioned for Rene to follow, ending any argument she might have considered putting forward. "Alright, saying you asked so politely." Rene turned to her friend, tapping the Chronograph on her left wrist. "I'll be a few minutes. Try not to recruit anyone or find any stowaways while I'm gone."

She followed the woman down the cargo ramp. From the opposite direction she could see Hawthorne arriving with the promised supplies. She raised her hand in greeting as he approached.

 

[Scavenger]

Isabel returned Baxter's nod with a small one of her own curiosity niggling at what the ex drop trooper could want with her she tailed him and Mitch as the group made there way to the dock. As the group moved and mitch rattled of the agincourt specs Issy seemlessly uplinked into the local military tactical net sending a request for a few dossiers before disconnecting with a thought. Recieving them would require a dedicated encrypted node but that could wait for later as the group arrived at a set of blast doors.

Issy's keen eye surveyed the ship as the blast doors opened, the most obvious modification was the new FTL drive nestled at the stern of the fuselage, already a small frown developed on Issy's face if it was just the drive then she supposed it would be fine but if they had stripped any of the nav software they would have lost some of the speed that the ship was reknown for. Continuing her sweep as the group walked down to the main ramp several of the weak armour points seemed to have been stripped alongside the primary axial accelerator. Both modifications elliciting good marks from Issy in her head the accellerator always was to large for the frigates power core so it's removal gave credence to the work that would have been done on the rest of the systems.

Walking up the ramp Isabel frowned slightly at the Kodiak it was a very aged design and while certainly reliable it's place here seemed out of place with other systems such as the ship itself, perhaps their finnanciers were military in nature it would be odd for anyone else to harbour attachment to the vehicle. As they were lead into the engine room Issy let out a small snort and her face twisted into a wry smirk, whatever else it seemed like the retrofit had seen no problems leaving the main power core and Taurus Drive exposed, the only reason that they were so exposed on the military varient was part of a evolution joke between two of the design teams.

The final part of the tour was nothing if not brief though Issy was happy that they wouldn't be going into to much detail over things she already knew. Shaking her head gently Issy seperated from the main group entering into the techlab. The second the doors opened she realised that this area had been given a proper once over, what used to be a sparse sensor hub had been completely redone and seemed to have been upgraded with almost any toy you could think of. After pausing a moment Issy looks back over her shoulder making eye contact with Baxter before jerking her head into the lab and entering herself having a look at the various displays mounted on the walls.

Bronco