Prolouge (UPDATED)
Pluto,
Space Array base Calvin,
August 16, 2199
Admiral Kate Genesis,
You and your crew will be the first humans to traverse outside of our solar system.
As such your ship the 'Sun beam' is scheduled for re-fitting, seeing that your ship has unnecessary equipment aboard.
Your ship will be re-fitted with the new H-22 Saka FTL Drive, 20 T-68 Rhino APC,15 R-36 Raven transport's, 12 U-87 Tornado gunship's, and the 15 G-89 Falcon SPF. a more detailed list will be given once everything is installed.
We hope you can find more planets for the better of humanity.
U.A.S.C Head Colonization Officer, Kevin Baker.
Kate read the message again. She hated what they were doing to her ship, but she knew it was for a good reason.
She still hated it nonetheless. Every time she looked at her ship, she saw Multiple engineers in their mech suits, Loading or unloading Equipment and Vehicles from the storage airlock on the bottom.
Kate sighed and turned off her Holo-pad, She was tired of reading that report over and over.
"Excuse Ma'am" a voice said behind her. She turned, standing there was her head engineer officer Cory Chareman.
"Everything is loaded on to the ship, and the crew members and soldiers are waiting for you, so that the U.A.S.C officer can give his speech."
"Wait what officer?" Kate said. "There was no report of any speech supposed to be given."
Cory rolled his eyes. "Of course there's not," he said. "Whatever 6-year old they employed to decide when speeches are to be given decided to have one at the last minute to give us a 'hail and farewell'."
Kate shook her head. "Where's the speech going to be given?"
"Airlock 15" Cory said. "I was coming here to log in the final Modification test and well they told me to fetch you while I'm up here."
Kate sighed. "Well what are we waiting for?"
"For the stupid thing to register." Cory growled hitting the Holo-table.
Kate face-palmed. She walked over to the table and whacked the restart button. The load process restarted and was at 98% loaded. Cory's mouth hanged open. "H-h-how did you do that?" Cory asked.
"It's a model 90." Kate said. "I used to work on them. Now are we going or what?" Kate walked out of the room with an awe-struck Cory following behind her.
Kate walked into Airlock bay 9 and immediately was assaulted by a stench of gas, hydraulic fumes, and sweaty engineers.
Cory laughed at her discomfort. "Something wrong?" he asked, trying to keep himself from rolling on the floor laughing.
"
Yeah" Kate replied " The fact that he's here."
Kate put so much malice in her voice that Cory stopped laughing.
"Who is here?" Kate glared at the podium. Cory followed her gaze. There at the podium stood a U.A.S.C officer with polished shoes, nice fitting uniform, and a regulation haircut, well as far as a hair cut goes when you don't have hair on the top of your head.
"Who is that exactly?" asked Cory. Kate ignored him and went, in a calm rage, towards the podium.
"Now before the hail and farewell speech, I like to invite to the stand, Admiral Kate Genesis."
Clapping ensued after the name had been said, all heads turning to the Admiral herself. The Admiral did not look happy but took the
stand anyways.
[I'm going to skip her speech to the end of the hail and farewell speech because I'm tired, and I don't feel like typing it so yeah]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...And the United Alliance Space Command wishes you luck on your journey and hopes you can find a planet suitable for human habitation."
Clapping ensued again, and the U.A.S.C officer stepped off the podium and walked to an escort of soldiers. A voice came over the loud speaker "The U.A.S.C Sunbeam is ready for boarding, I repeat the Sunbeam is ready for boarding."
"I need the full list of equipment that we have on the ship given to me once I'm in the bridge." Kate said to a Dock engineer that was on the ship.
"I already got the list Ma'am," he said. "Just waiting for you to get here."
"Ma'am," the driver said. "We're reaching the Vehicle Air lock." Kate looked out the side window and, sure enough, they were right in front of the massive doors that was the Vehicle air lock.
"Cory?" Kate called.
"What," he answered.
"Can you wake up Beth to see if she can get the other vehicle air lock open?"
There was a pause.
"Umm.." Cory said "The U.A.S.C might have ummm..."
"Just spit it out already!" Kate snapped.
"Uhhh how do I put this...." Cory said
"Cory" Kate said in a dangerous tone "If you don't spit it out i'm gonna go over there and-." "Alright!" Cory shouted "The U.A.S.C decommissioned Beth and replaced her!" there was silence.
"They.Did.What?" Kate asked in a dangerously calm voice.
"They said Beth was out of date and replaced her with a new off the line ones."
There was more silence.
"Thomson are you there?"
"Yes Ma'am," he replied "Is there something wrong?"
"Yes" Kate replied "Can you....activate the new A.I?"
There was movement on the other line.
"Sorry Ma'am." Thomson replied
"It needs your password."
Kate growled "Fine," she replied angrily.
"I'll be up there in a minute."
Kate stormed her way onto the bridge. Several of her technicians jumped when the doors opened, but she didn't seem to notice, she was to busy glaring at her two best People on the ship. Cory gulped "M-m-m-m Ma'am" Cory stuttered "W-w-w-we are ready to activate the new A.I, we just need your password a-a-a-and we're all good" he finished, still stuttering.
Kate glared at Cory "Do you know its name?" Kate asked. "I do Ma'am," Thomson said looking at a maintenance panel.
"It says right here that her name is L-."
"Hold on a second." Kate interrupted "Did you say her?"
"Yes Ma'am," Thomson said. "The info given by the U.A.S.C says that it is of female gender."
Kate looked at him pointedly "What was the name?" she asked.
"Her name is Lyra Ma'am"Thomson said, tapping the panel.
Kate looked at the panel "Give me the panel."
"Ma'am?"Thomson asked
"Give me the panel, so that I may activate the A.I."
"Alright"Thomson said, turning the panel towards her. Kate looked at it, then tapped the holographic letters, putting in her password. "Activating" a voice said. The voice sounded that of a young female, maybe 17 or 18 years old. The holographic table lit up. Particles rose from the projector hidden within the table.
The A.I. seemed to be lying on a bench, sleeping with some kind of old instrument sitting next to the A.Is head. The A.I. yawned and sat up, looking around the bridge until her eyes saw the Kate and the other people on the bridge."Hello." the A.I. said with a cheery voice "My name is Lyra whats yours."
Kate's eyes narrowed, "I'm Admiral Kate Genesis, Admiral of the Ship Sunbeam, Heavy Bombardment class and your are her new A.I."
"Well I'm happy to be aboard." Said Lyra, picking up her instrument.
"Kate" Cory said "All the crew is on board and once their given the okay by the A.I" Cory shot a glance at the A.I, who was talking to Thomson about all the gadgets aboard the ship "We're clear for departure." Kate nodded then turned to Thomson
"Thomson," she said. "Make an announcement tell non-important personal to report to the Stasis chambers when we depart."
"Yes Ma'am" Thomson replied.
He turned to Lyra. "Hey can signal the ATC tower for me please." As they talked away, the bridge crew had walked in and started to check everything on the consoles.
"60 seconds until launch." A voice said over the Sunbeams intercoms. Kate was sitting in the Admirals chair in the elevated area of the bridge she was looking through the front window of the bridge, at interstellar space
"40 seconds till launch," the voice said again. Lyra was playing that instrument she had and the sound was beautiful, but she ignored it.
"20 seconds till launch," the voice said again. there was a rumbling near the engines and they were silent again
"10 seconds till launch." the rumbling began again, louder this time.
"5,4,3,2,1 launch" the rumbling intensified and they began to move. Faster and faster it moved
"30 seconds till we're clear of array base Calvin."
The bridge vibrated so much her chair began to turn to the side little by little.
"And we're clear." Cheers erupted aboard the ship
"All non-vital personal please report to the stasis chamber for stasis."
Kate unbuckled herself and stood up. She started to walk towards the holographic table "Lyra" Kate said "how long until we arrive at the coordinates?"
Lyra looked down. "Around 4 months."
Kate stared out of the window for a moment then looked back at Lyra "Activate the Mega-drive in 5 minutes, and if anyone needs me" Kate said "I'll be in my stasis pod."
