<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Sepik Colony: Last Hope</strong></span><br/>(http://storiesbywilliams.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/logos.jpg)<br/><em><span class="bbc_u">Image Source:</span> First known picture of Sepik Planet, taken by Exploration Probe</em></div><br/>The RI [Roht Industries]<em>Swallow</em>was a small ship, designed for speedy transport. It could both dock at an orbiting station or touch down on the ground with out trouble due to its sized. It certainly did not compare to the bulky transport ships that filled the transport lanes between highways, the type that would breakup upon entry of a planets orbit. The<em>RI Swallow</em>simply lived up to its name. It had the speed to outrun most Pirate Ships with the cargo capacity to transport enough goods to make each run profitable. Its crew of 4 had more then double for this particular trip, with 6 Marines and 4 Engineers filling up the Crew Quarters. Don't forget the Doctor who was on-board too. The Cargo hold was also bursting, with three vehicles and a Communications Array with a few other essential supplies and equipment thrown in.<br/><br/>The Engineer compliment was the main reason behind this particular flight. Sepik Colony, located on Sepik Planet, had gone silent months before. The silence was attributed to a malfunctioning or offline Communications Array that was beyond the repair capabilities of the Scientists that were planetside. The Engineers on board the<em>Swallow</em>were to fix the Communications Array if possible or replace it if it was not repairable in their time frame. They would also give the research station a quick over and make any other repairs that they could.<br/><br/>The Doctor on board was simply hitching a ride to the Colony (more of a research station in reality) to partake in the ongoing research there into the local flora and fauna of the planet.<br/><br/>The Marines, on the other hand, had multiple roles. For starters, they were to protect the<em>Swallow</em>in case of attack. Once at Sepik Colony, they would make sure the area was secure and establish communications with the Research Station. There was a small chance that something nefarious had occurred, from a disease outbreak to a previously un-known hostile creature that had damaged the Communications Array. Essentially, the Marines were to make sure the shit hadn't hit the fan. The small squad-sized unit spoke of just what sort of threat level was expected: none.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The rush of gasses being released filled the air as the cyro-tubes slowly awoke their occupants. Save for the Flight Crew, who rotated Cyro-sleep on a weekly basis, the rest of the occupants were kept in Cyro-sleep for the length of the two-month trip. It cut down on the strain on life-support systems and food supplies along with maintaining the sanity of the crew on such a flight in such small quarters. It also cut down on any illnesses aboard the ship.<br/><br/>Captain Connor stumbled out of his Cyro-tube and wretched into the nearby trough for such purposes, the gunk immediately disposed of a second later. He had never gotten used to the rush of chemicals into his bloodstream after being woken up. He had long preferred the Troop Transports or larger ships that didn't require Cyro-sleep, or offered it as an option. His body still felt cold and he was barechested, only wearing standard issue underwear for his modesty. The less clothing the better had been explained to him. It had never satisfied his question of course, but no one had a better answer.<br/><br/>He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and regained his feet. The holo-display in front of them showed the ships position in the star-system. A giant green orb depicting Sepik Planet dominated the Hologram. They had finally arrived.<br/><br/>He turned around to face the others as they awoke. "Ok, Marines, wash up and get some chow down. You know the drill. Dismissed." He barks, hands clasped behind his back. He relaxed once they began to disperse and moved towards the Crew Quarters - the actually bunk area with three showers attached to it that would be their home while on board the ship should the need arise. Andrew, being the CO, got first dibs on the shower and quickly stripped down before stepping into the steaming compartment. It quickly warmed him up and he let out a soft sigh.