<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/98/Marleen_cropped.jpg)</div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Character name:</strong></td><td>Marleen Van Acker</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Location:</strong> </td><td>Martian surface</td></tr><tr><td><strong>With:</strong> </td><td>The passengers and crew on the shuttle and the people awaiting their arrival</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Doing:</strong> </td><td>exiting the spacecraft</td></tr></tbody></table><hr/><br/>All things considered, Marleen felt better than she had any business being. She had awoken from her long space-sleep only hours earlier. After that they had been treated to a quite violent descent into the atmosphere that probably would have made her puke her guts out had there been any food in her stomach.  Now she was filing out of their space-shuttle along with the rest of the passengers. Even after the training she went through, being inside of the space-suit still seemed odd. It felt like she was walking around in her own private little mobile room. She took in the view as she descended the ramp and she had to admit that it took her breath quite literally away.<br/><br/>It was more than just the realization she was on another planet now, infinitely far away from her home and family. The planet couldn’t have looked any more alien to her. No about of briefings or preparations could have steeled her mind for the sight of the pink atmosphere, the reddish dust as far as the eye could see and the puny-looking little sun on the horizon. She briefly stopped in her tracks halfway down the ramp, causing the person behind her to briefly walk into her. She apologized through the spacesuit com system and then finished her descent.<br/><br/>They were greeted by a nice little group of people, their very own welcome committee. She recognized the base commander at the front of the group and she stopped nearby her. After being welcomed she stood to attention or the closest she could manage in her space attire and saluted her CO.<strong>“Thank you ma’am. Marleen Van Acker, reporting for duty.”</strong>Even whilst addressing the Lt. Colonel, her eyes still strayed to the unbelievable sight all around her.<br/>