Prelaunch of the Exodious
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Dracoat on 23-03-2011, 08:24:36</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 08:24:36</strong>
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				<em>The setting is a rather large recreation dome on Mars. Located in one of the deeper craters, the atmosphere is suitable for about 10 minutes of un-aided breathing before you get lightheaded. The inner part of the dome is lavishly furnished, sparing no expense for the "Heroes of humanity!" as the vid ads say. The middle of the floor has been converted into a makeshift dance area and upbeat music plays. This is the after party, so alcohol is being served. The rest of the furniture is arranged in a circle around the floor. Everything is simulated fur and there are even expensive martian limestone busts of important figures. A large chandelier adorns the entrance and way off to one side is a large glass airlock that leads outside onto an extravagant heated patio. Breather masks and warm jackets are provided. The only people in attendance are the ones who will be boarding the ship for cryo. This is one of the many recreation areas. As approximately 3000 people will make up the cryo occupants. Another 100 will be manning the ship as it flies. They are off at another party, much more... risque and extravagant. In just one week the Exodious will depart the martian ship port.</em><br>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Nothing too big, just a place to wet the appetite.<br>Link:<br>Interested in joining the future Main RP? (Interest/join thread) (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=101390.0)<br>Character Thread (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=101605.0)<br>Main Thread RP (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=101930.0)
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 09:17:53</strong>
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				*Daric sat idly at one of the tables. Enjoying a nice mead while waiting for the bulk of the colonists to get here. Still early in the Martian day, very few people were here. He had already talked to a few and responded to inquiries about his role. He sighed as he kicked his feet up onto the table and sipped from his mug. Of course they would want to know what he was doing. Although he was one of five of the cryogenics experts, only three would be awake at a time. He closed his eyes and shrugged the thought away. "<span class="bbc_u">At least I get to wake up for a bit and stretch my tinkering muscles. Maybe even draw smily faces on the tanks of the colonists and such.</span>" He grinned as he said this to himself. Imagining waking up to a big smily face plastered on the glass. At least it would be remembered. He stretched out and closed his eyes. A light melody was playing and he would wake when the more upbeat music started in the next hour, signaling the start of the real party.*
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 10:29:21</strong>
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				He had propped himself up at the bar, sipping a single malt and watching the various people entering and pairing off. He recognised a few faces from the roster, but he was scanning for one person in particular and she hadn't arrived yet. Ever since he saw her projected image in the library node of the mission information programe he had wanted to meet her. He had <em>told</em> himself that his interest was merely academic, that an A.I. specialist and a robotics expert would have much to discuss. That he was intrigued as to how someone so young could have achieved so much even before her eighteenth birthday. In reality, her image had fascinated him far more than her biography had done.<br><br>Sat at one of the tables was one of the Cryo Specialists. He appeared to be asleep. Richard had never gone into cryo statis. He wondered what it would feel like. He wondered if he would dream.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 12:34:27</strong>
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				Ellen wondered if she should regret telling her mother and brothers about the whole Exodious deal. She wondered if it was right to tell them a week prior to launch. Her brothers had been cool about it but her mother ... well, it broke her heart that her only daughter was leaving in a week on a voyage with risks that no one knew. It was more riskier than having a job as a criminologist, where the biggest risk was firing a gun by mistake. Ellen thought it would be better if her mother resented her as she left rather than leaving on a good note and having her mother worry as 20 years went by. There was no stopping it.<br><br>Ellen arrived at the big party just in time for an upbeat song to come on and cheers from a dancing crowd fill the dome. She noticed that most that were dancing were the college-aged. The older people sat either at the tables or the bar. The event was weird at all. It would be a good night to unleash the inner beast from within before being put in cryo and sent into the stars for 20 years. If things went bad, all the people could say that they had their last party with a bang. Ellen wasn't so sure for those drinking the night away at the bar. In 20 years or so, whenever they woke up from cryo, they would have the world's first 20 year hangover. Ellen couldn't help but laugh at that thought.<br><br>She went to a higher level where they were couches out and about. Taking a seat on one of the couches, she lifted her head to see outside the dome. The sky was clear from dust clouds and showed the expanse of stars in the heavens. Ellen wondered what it would be like up there, on a new world, a new Earth maybe.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 15:23:53</strong>
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				*Awoken by the now louder company and music, Daric reaches for his mead instinctively. He stretches as he brings the mug to his lips and drains the rest of it.* "<em>I'm glad my 21st birthday was not too long ago. I would have killed to have alcohol right now.</em>" *He laughs to himself and sets the now empty mug down. His shifts his feet to get more comfortable in his chair. He shrugs as he just ends up back in the same position. He sits by himself, thinking, as another mug of mead is delivered to him. Glad to have ordered the drinks in advance, he says out loud.* "<em>I'll be forty when this is over... although I'll still physically be 27, now that's something to drink too!</em>" *He chugged the mead and slammed the mug down laughing, already slightly intoxicated from the two shots he took as he got here.*<br><br>*Standing slowly, he confidently strode over to the bar, albeit a bit of a curve, and leaned against it. He watched the people starting to spill onto the floor and watched them dance. This particular song was one recovered from earth not too long ago, and it had become an instant hit with the colonies. Something about a Pink Typhoid, and Bricks in a wall. It was kinda ironic, as they all had topnotch educations. He chuckled heartily to himself again and headed toward the patio airlock. He thumbed the cycle button and stepped inside. He donned a jacket and a breather and stepped through the outer door as it cycled open. He walked the length of the patio and stopped at the edge. He sat there motionless as if waiting, then silently pulled out a marker and drew a smiley face on a nearby window. He grinned as he stepped away from his graffiti and sat at a nearby table. He tilted his head back and looked up to the upper floor windows. He saw somebody sitting near the window and waved, not caring if he was seen or not. Then he leaned his head back and watched the thin wispy clouds of Mars swish about overhead.*
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 17:26:32</strong>
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				Back on Mars for the first time in two years. <em>How did home become so alien?</em> Sarah Nakano wondered as the airlock into the celebration dome cycled. Mostly it was the knowledge that she would soon be leaving for good. There was also the distracting gravity difference. The young tech had grown up accustomed to Martian gravity, approximately 0.38<em>g</em>. But lately she had spent all her time aboard various space stations and <em>The Exodious</em> itself, where rotational gravity had been set to Earth-like levels.<br><br>There had been a week of nanite drug treatments before she had first left the surface of her home world, designed to strengthen bones and muscles. This had been followed by a grueling 1<em>g</em> exercise program where she had learned how to move under the new conditions. After so long she had grown accustomed, and now back on the surface of Mars her gait was ever-so-slightly awkward, and at each step she had to remind herself how she used to walk.<br><br>Still, at least she was less clumsy than all the off-worlders. Sarah was not one for the usual Martian-centric snobbery, but even she had to resist rolling her eyes when she got a first look at the dance floor. Some of the dancers were jumping around like a bunch of hick tourists, acting as if low gravity were the funniest thing they had ever seen. Still, at least they were enjoying themselves—she envied them for that.<br><br>Sarah put her micro-rebreather into her purse and left her heavy coat on a rack. She then nervously scanned the room, looking to see if there was anyone she knew. She was wearing a simple but elegant black dress, which had a plunging neckline and hemline just above her knees. She also wore sensible black heels, dark pantyhose, and a silver necklace. The truth was Sarah would have just as soon worn her tech jumpsuit in order to be more modest, but she would have stuck out like a sore thumb for dressing so stodgily.<br><br>She caught sight of the cute redhead from the hydroponics team, but as always did not have the nerve to introduce herself. While Sarah was bisexual, she did tend to go more for other women. Not that she had ever had sex, or even dated for that matter. The embarrassing part was that since she was reasonably pretty, one hundred percent of the blame for her loneliness rested on her defective personality.<br><br><em>I hate these things.</em> The best case scenario was that Sarah might find someone else in the robotics division interested in talking shop all night. Otherwise, she would probably end up spending most of the night sitting alone. A few guys might hit on her, but she would inevitably drive them off with her ineptitude at small talk and disinterest in casual sex. Probably most of them would creeps who came on way too strongly anyway.<br><br>Sarah went over to the bar and ordered a drink—maybe guys would be less inclined to buy her drinks if she already had one. She was then reminded that the drinking age on this part of Mars was twenty-one, and settled for some juice. <em>Now I just need to find some lonely spot to sulk in by myself, and this party can really get started,</em> she thought with bitter sarcasm. Still, it was best not to give up immediately—maybe she would have a good time for once. She sat at the bar and tried not to look as uncomfortable as she felt.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 19:30:01</strong>
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				Richard watched as the redhead entered and sat down. His photographic memory automatically relaying information to his brain that he had absorbed from the crew roster before coming here. He wondered how many others had been rifling through the library databanks.<br><br>Daric had exited via the airlock and then <b>she</b> entered. He watched her every move as she walked towards the bar. He took in the micro gesture of her expression as she noted the redhead and frowned to himself. One of the things that the library records lacked was information on the crew sexualities. Personal confidentiality prevented it. He wondered if she preferred women. But his interest in Sarah was professional, wasn't it?<br><br>He walked up to her and offered the lady a smile.<br><br>"Miss Nakano isn't it?", he said. "I read your paper on&nbsp; the use of&nbsp; nanogyroscopes in conjuction with learning subroutines to increase spacial awareness in remote drones. Very Impressive." <br><br>It wasn't much of an opening line, but at least it was a start.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>23-03-2011, 20:35:08</strong>
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				Sarah was sipping on her drink idly through a straw when she saw someone approach. She was not terribly good with names—or faces, for that matter—but she was sure he looked familiar. No doubt she had seen him around the ship at some point.<br><br>She gave a look of surprise and recognition when he spoke. “Oh, Dr. Hawthorne! I remember you, I was at that talk you gave to the factory team. The one on improving emergency protocols for automated drone shutdown in the event of catastrophic dome breech? You probably don’t remember me though, it was a pretty big auditorium.”<br><br>She paused a moment, feeling a sense of relief. At least for the time being, she could forget about socializing like a normal person and just talk about what she knew. “Anyway, I hope you’re not about to give me too much credit on the spatial awareness systems—the part I wrote was really more of a memo than a paper. Dr.&nbsp; Brunner added a lot more detail to the pseudo-code regarding how the data could be parsed. I was actually pretty embarrassed when he insisted on putting my name first on the paper.<br><br>“But it was pretty gratifying when my initial theory was validated in later work. And after that, I got less attitude—before that it was always, ‘you’re just a tech, let the important people do the thinking.’<br><br>“All my ranting aside, it’s kind of silly talking about my work when you’re here. I read your first paper on modifying the primary navigation AI to better anticipate micrometeorites when sensor data is unreliable. Well, in all honesty I didn’t understand much more than the abstract, but I was amazed such nuanced decision making was possible given the extreme number of variables involved.”<br><br>Sarah forced herself to finally stop and let the poor man respond—when talking about things like this, she often became overexcited.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 01:49:18</strong>
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				Ellen wanted to relax, but the constant thought of herself storming out of the door of her mother's apartment kept her on edge. It was something from a Martian drama. She couldn't decide whether to apologize or leave the matter be. Maybe before I go, I'll send her a holovid, telling her the truth, Ellen thought as she stood and looked out on the patio. It looked nice, even though it was empty ... well nearly empty. There was a man standing outside waving in her direction, looking up at the second level. She zoomed in with her left eye, upgraded from her original blind eye. It was a guy, someone she did not recognize. Probably someone traveling on the Exodious, Ellen thought. She looked around and saw that there was nobody around on the second level, the transitioning beats and melodies keeping the patrons dancing and partying the night away on the dance floor. She couldn't stay awake in this upbeat music, and opted for company outside on the patio rather than in a ceremonial dome with raging ravers.<br><br>Grabbing her black jacket and the professional-grade breath mask she was borrowing from her brother, an airbrush artist, Ellen made her way downstairs and out onto the patio. She placed the breath mask on her face, securing it with a strap that wrapped around the back of her head. As she stepped out onto the patio, she put her jacket on, shielding herself from the lukewarm breeze. She looked around, scanning with her optical implant for that one guy who was waving at her. She finally found him lounging about on a table, a window sporting a smiley face drawing nearby, possibly the guy's work. Ellen approached and blurted a statement out loud, her voice sounding robotic in the breath mask. "I wonder if anyone will be out here rather than drinking or dancing their hearts out," she said, glancing away from the man.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 05:34:50</strong>
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				*He started at her voice, surprised at the sound of it coming through the breather. Not realizing she was the one he'd waved at, he looked over and replied.* "<em>I'm sure some will be out here later, either enjoying a sunrise entwined or yakking their brains onto the ground.</em>" *He laughed as he made the comment. He looked toward his foot and upon seeing it moving with the beat unconsciously, kicked his feet onto the table. He reached over and faced one of the seats toward the woman.* "<em>A seat for the lady?</em>" *He said this with humor in his voice. Simply enjoying himself by making himself laugh was the goal of tonight, at least till he forgot what was happening.* "<em>So what brings someone such as yourself out into the cold Martian air? Could it be the allure of the sparse greenery this resort sports, the beautiful sky, or perhaps you've also found out I'm one of the people who will be checking on you while your sleeping in your birthday suit? That last one has come up quite alot recently.</em>" *He looked off into the distance as if pondering the concept.*<br><br>*He shook his head and motioned to the seat again.* "<em>But please have a seat, I'll be good and not bore you with such little things. I shall leave you to enjoy the reason you have alighted upon this fair landscape.</em>" *He chuckled again at himself and again looked up into the sky. His foot had resumed moving to the beat, unnoticed.*
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 11:12:15</strong>
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				Richard remembered the lecture that Sarah had mentioned. It hadn't been a very good talk. He was rather tired and stressed at the time. He wondered at how he could have missed the beautiful young woman in the crowd of onlookers, though.<br><br>"You should never, ever think of yourself as just a tech", replied Richard in response to her statement regarding her paper, "The eggheads that form part of the scientific community could do with a lot less arrogance and a lot more open mindedness in my opinion. Spending hours pouring over research material and running simulations is all well and good, but nothing beats getting your hands dirty, yes?"<br><br>In response to her comment on his two year old paper, Richard shrugged. "There is still a lot of work to be done in that area. Personally I think that we're approaching the whole concept of Artificial Intelligence in the wrong way. They should be looking more at the humand mind as a model for the silicone one. What makes us learn? Not mere curiosity, not hard study and logical though processes. Its how we <b>feel</b> about things that cause our brains to make connections. Emotion is the key to intelligence and a machine without emotion - without self-awareness - will never achieve anything near the level of human intellect."<br><br>He suddenly laughed. "Oh god, listen to me. I'm the one that's ranting now. You know I think part of the unwritten job description of an engineer is spend your whole life getting excited about theories and none of it actually living. Perhaps we tech types should try to lighten up once in a while."<br><br>He stared at her drink.<br><br>"Like that for instance. Would you prefer something a little stronger? If I order it and say its for me then its perfectly legal, right?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 12:52:04</strong>
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				"No thanks," Ellen responded to the man's gesture towards a seat opposite him. The man continued to talk, but as he mentioned his last bit about checking up on her in her nakedness, Ellen gave a disgusted look. How could he say that so casually? she thought to herself.<br><br>The man shook his head and motioned to the seat again. Ellen didn't like jokes, especially vulgar and crude joke like the one he gave to her. An unfavoring look appeared on her face as she too shook her head, sitting down on the seat opposite the man. He apologized, saying he wasn't going to play around anymore. Ellen thought, that even if this 20 year trip made it and they were still alive, it wouldn't be right to hold a grudge for a single joke 20 years in the past. She knew better and as she sat on the chair, for a moment she thought about sending a holovid to her mother and brothers, telling them the real, honest, loving truth. She would have enough time for that later on. She wanted to know more about this man first, and to know things about him beyond the facade of a joking remark.<br><br>Remembering what he said earlier, Ellen asked, "So you're part of the team that does cryogenics?" She realized that what he said was true about them being naked when frozen. It was best for a person to be frozen naked than to have clothes on, or run the risk of peeling skin when peeling clothes off, or so she assumed. There were some things she could not understand, and with an expert sitting in front of her, it would be a good opportunity to learn. "So 20 years, we're going to be frozen?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 13:25:17</strong>
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				*He looked at his foot, seemingly annoyed by it. He forced himself to stop again and turned his eyes toward the woman, taking his feet down as he did so.* "<em>Now, now, you got it all wrong. You won't be frozen in the sense of an ice cube. That would leave everyone with a mad case of freezer burn, so to speak. You'll be submerged into a pool of goop, then injected with feel goods, and finally, while you drift off and frolick into a field of flowers, the tank will be flash cooled and the temperature will be maintained above freezing, but only slightly. Like .000005 above. Thresholds and such.</em>" *Grinning he added.* "<em>I promise I'll close my eyes when I work on your tank, although it does make my job that much harder to accomplish.</em>" *Laughing yet again, he put his hand over his eyes and continued.* "<em>With all seriousness though, I have been given multiple psych exams, so I can assure you, that apart from my regular manner, I am quite adept at my job and you have no need to worry that I'll be doing anything but my job.</em>" *He peeked out from under his hand and winked. He turned his hand over and showed her the scribbles he had just read. He stood and flourished then sat back down.* "<em>My uppers have mentioned that I should ease the apprehension of the sleepers, so they are more comfortable with the idea of being chilled in the buff.</em>" *He pushed a button on the table labeled mead and reclined, now wearing a more welcoming smile. He might as well not get himself into too much trouble tonight. Cant have angry colonists waking up and giving him the stink-eye. No, no that would just not do.*
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 15:27:32</strong>
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				The comment about her drink surprised Sarah slightly, in that she had nearly forgotten she was at a party. “Oh. It doesn’t really matter either way—I’m pretty sure it’s just as illegal, on the other hand, it’s a pretty stupid law. I’m from Mare Erythraeum, we don’t even have a drinking age there. And there’s a lot less binge drinking among teenagers there, so...” She shrugged. Fortunately, this was another area where she was talkative—though admittedly a bit opinionated. “But you know how it is in here in Syrtis Planum. ‘Hey, let’s deregulate the economy and then regulate the hell out of everyone’s personal lives, why not?’<br><br>“That reminds me, I was watching this blowhard political commentator last night, I guess he’s some local guy. He was talking about <em>the Exodius,</em> and all he could do was complain about how it’s some big waste of government funds. He kept calling it the ‘odious exodus,’ and saying that we’re all incompetent government hacks at the feeding trough. Oh! And then he goes, ‘these icy pinheads will probably miss the planet entirely and fly right into the system primary!’ Can you believe it?” she asked indignantly. <br><br>She then worried she might be boring him—not a lot of people wanted to hear her talk about politics. “Oh, and what you said earlier, I agree completely. About emotions in a machine intellect—there really ought to be a resurgence in the top-down approach to Artificial General Intelligence. We’re at the point now where we’ve pushed weak AI nearly as far as it can go. We ought to focus more on reverse engineering the human brain—and once we figure out what makes us tick, we can improve upon it. Not that I’m slamming weak AI and all the practical applications—that has been our bread and butter for the last two years, hasn’t it?” She laughed slightly—from Sarah, this was something that was rarely seen.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 16:28:30</strong>
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				Richard watched Sarah pontificate about her underage status. He wasn't so much interested in her words as in the way her face became so animated when talking about a subject that interested her. In response he said "To hell with regulations. Today we'll be Bonnie and Clyde and break some laws. What's your poison, Bonnie?"<br><br>Then the subject turned to politics. In general Richard tried to stay out of political and religious discussions. It wasn't that either disinterested him. In fact, religion interested him quite a bit. Rather, those were two subjects that often led to disputes, arguments, and in a lot of cases, wars.<br><br>He shrugged. "I guess a little bit of sensationalist mud flinging is good for both the media and the tabloids. Let them have their pound of flesh. We know that what we're doing is for the good of humanity and that's all that matters."<br><br>After agreeing with his views on A.I. theory, Sarah laughed. It was a sweet sound. He wondered if he'd get to hear it very often. She had seemed so serious up until that point.<br><br>"I like the way you laugh", he commented.<br><br>He scanned the room. <br><br>"Not much of a turnout, is it? I only recognised two other crew members and they just left the building. Don't get me wrong I dont mind at all. I have such pleasant company as yourself around."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 17:17:06</strong>
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				“A piña colada would be fine,” Sarah said when asked what she wanted to drink. “Honestly, I can only stand girly drinks—for that matter, I only drink once in a blue moon.”<br><br>When&nbsp; Dr. Hawthorne mentioned liking the way she laughed, and then called her “pleasant company,” Sarah’s exuberance suddenly vanished—though her brain was racing. <em>Oh wait, is he flirting with me? Should I flirt back? I don’t even remember his first name! He is fairly cute, seems nice enough. Wait, was he just talking about those other things just to get into my pants?</em> No, it was not reasonable to assume there was some either/or dichotomy there—it was entirely possible he genuinely cared about those topics but was also interested in taking her to bed. But for that matter, he hadn’t tried any “lines” on her. Really, if you wanted to sleep with a woman, did you open with some comment on nanogyroscopes? Not that she was an expert on sleeping with anyone...<br><br>Sarah’s mind worked the way it just about always did—sift through the evidence, codify it into a theory, test the theory. Her working theory was that he was not particularly attracted to her and was just being friendly. The best way to test it was just to continue the conversation and see if he said anything so obvious that even she would not miss the subtext.<br><br>All this flashed through her mind with surprising quickness, though it did add up to a bit of an awkward pause before she responded. “It’s umm... I’m sure more people will be along, if there’s someone else you’re looking for...” Now that she was so drastically over-thinking things, she could not come up with anything else to say.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 17:45:27</strong>
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				At Sarah's request Richard ordered a piña colada and another glenmorangie before returning his attention to the beautiful young woman. Her response to his attempt at flattery puzzled him. Perhaps his initial assessment of her sexuality was correct. His heart sank a little.<br><br>"You misunderstand me, Sarah. I don't need to find anyone else here. I have been wanting to meet you ever since I read your profile in the crew roster databanks."<br><br>It was the first time he used her name. He waited to see her reaction before he continued. Richard realised that such a statement might make Sarah uncomfortable and he kind of regretted it after making it. The fact was that Sarah had met his expectations <strong>and exceeded them.</strong> The last thing he wanted was to drive her away. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 18:24:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarah was now even more confused—and too preoccupied to even pick up on the significance of him addressing her by her first name. “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand. I’m not going to deny that I probably have a lot of potential—but if I have any really great contributions to make, they’re still ahead of me. There are so many people on the team for <em>The Exodious</em> who are such giants in their fields compared to me—certainly any of them would be much more exciting to meet in person.”<br><br>She paused a moment, and realization dawned. “Oh, that must be it. You’re looking to take me under your wing, like some sort of protégée? That does make a certain amount of sense, seeing as our areas of expertise overlap sometimes.” Now everything came into focus—the conversation was about seeing whether she was as sharp in person as she appeared on paper. “It’s too bad you didn’t approach me sooner—I would have loved to contribute more directly on some of your recent projects. I assume there are all sorts of papers and books you’d like me to study as well? I suppose a lot of it will have to wait until we’re properly settled on our new world though.”<br><br>She paused a moment, suddenly experiencing some doubt. “I hope I’m not assuming too much—I don’t want to be entitled or arrogant about this. Is mentoring me what you’ve been driving at?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 18:46:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard was relieved that Sarah hadn't run a mile. She obviously handn't picked up on the implied meaning in what he said. For now he let the matter go. Perhaps he could find out more about her personally as the days progressed. For now he was content just to be able to talk to her.<br><br>"You're putting yourself down, Sarah." He continued to use her first name since she hadn't objected to its use.<br><br>"You may not have achieved as much as some of the older 'giants in their fields' as you put it but look how much you've achieved so far? And at seventeen? When I was seventeen I was more interested in smoking pot, playing guitar and chasing girls than I was in theory. By the time you reach twenty five you'll be far ahead of anyone in your field."<br><br>He considered her second point.<br><br>"I would like to mentor you, but I'm sure I'll probably learn a lot more from you than you will from me. We can talk more about it when we reach our destination. In the meantime, Sarah, this is supposed to be a party and a chance to unwind. We should be enjoying ourselves rather than talking shop. Are there any leisure activities that you enjoy?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>24-03-2011, 19:31:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Why is he saying all these over the top things about me?</em> Sarah was not one for false modesty—she knew she was very intelligent and hard working. But the best in her field at twenty-five? That was something she and almost anyone else would have bet heavily against. Something was obviously skewing his normally sound judgment.<br><br>Finally she was struck by a eureka moment, and was even more certain than she had been about her last theory. She was so excited she blurted it out—decrypting a casual conversation was much more rare to her than making a discovery in her field. “Oh, I see what’s happening here! You have a physical infatuation towards me that’s causing you to read too much into my existing body of work.” She then frowned slightly, embarrassed. She also noticed that the bartender was starring at her like she was crazy. “I’m sorry, I just realized I’m not supposed to say something like that out loud. But in all honesty, I don’t like all the deception that usually accompanies courtship rituals in our species.”<br><br>She hesitated briefly, a bit nervous once more. This was difficult for her to talk frankly about, but on the other hand she did not want to get into a bunch of secondary education-style drama by being ambiguous. “Just so you’re not at a disadvantage, I’ll mention that I’m attracted to you as well. It’s too bad about the timing—I’m so busy this week trying to get the mining drones through all the tougher stress tests they dropped on us at the last minute. But at least there’s a party tonight.” She managed a slight smile. <em>Now don’t scare him off, if you haven’t already.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 00:17:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Maybe it was just him that ticked Ellen off. His personality was similar to one criminal who got his jollies off of picking up dog shit. Or maybe it was just his thing, adding a little joke or two, probably to ease the conversation. Ellen wanted to get the whole picture and not be blamed for pre-judging someone.<br><br>The process of the flash cooling wasn't what she expected. She was used to seeing cadavers in the morgue, when they're already dead and cold and laying in a locker. "I'm comfortable with it, I was just making sure," Ellen said, glancing at the scribbles on the man's hand.<br><br>After seeing mead pop out of the table, Ellen got up and walked over to a railing, out of the earshot of the man. She took out her holopad and with a succession of button, a blue light shown on her face. She then began apologizing to her mother and two brothers, recording a video of her telling her the real truth about the mission and her true feelings about it. "So, I'm not coming home. If I do, you'll probably been 20 years older than me. I love you guys, stay safe," she said to the recorder, and then pushing a square button, close the recorder and sent it to her folks. "Dios mio," she said under her breath. She looked up at the vast amount of stars in the night sky and wondered if it was the right thing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 00:46:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*He sighed. He had probably accomplished making an ass of himself again. Oh well, he wouldn't really be able to do so for another 20 years.*<br><br>*He nodded to her comment as he gripped the handle of the mug and brought it to his mouth. She stood and he paused, the drink held to his lips. Watching her approach the railing, the image passed through his mind she might throw herself over just to escape him. The image dissipated when she pulled the holopad out. He could tell she was talking, but to what effect he knew not. A lover perhaps? No he would be here with her. Family then? Most likely. She did seem young. He sighed again, this time realizing he would still get 6 years older while he was out of cryo. He mocked a sniffle and said quietly to himself humorously.* "<em>I'm going to be so old.</em>" *He chuckled. Absurd to think that he would be old when 27 was only the beginning of life normally. He sipped from his drink and turned his attention to his patio protege and watched as she finished the message. She seemed to visibly relax as the pad powered off. Definitely family from my reckoning. He smiled, then frowned as he noticed himself tapping his foot to the beat inside. He shook his foot, then resumed his relaxing.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 01:24:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm going to become a lunatic looking at all these stars, Ellen thought. She needed to relax and unwind. Talking to that guy was a hassle, but who would she know, even at least an acquaintance, after 20 years were up? Nobody. In fact, she didn't even know the people on the science team. They would even know her. I'm a bitch, for sure, she thought again. She turned and looked up at the man relaxing at the table. She didn't know his name and she didn't even introduce herself.<br><br>Ellen walked back to the table, sitting in the same seat she was sitting on earlier. She began to start talking, but realized that it would be weird. Most of the time she talked casually to only her family and dead people lying on a table. Would it be the same towards this guy? She shrugged and held out her hand, a gesture the man would probably recognize. "I didn't introduce myself ... I'm Ellen. Ellen Mendoza," she said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 01:35:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*Watchin her return to the table and seemingly compose herself, he was a little surprised when she offered her name. He set his drink down and grabbed her hand as a knight might a noble lady's.* "<em>Echanted to meet you, Lady Ellen.</em>" *Still holding onto her hand he added.* "<em>This servant of yours goes by the name Daric, Daric "Ice" Storms.</em>" *He released her hand and smiled warmly again. The drink seemingly appearing at his lips as he sipped. Well... at least I'm forgiven for the moment. I would have expected her to yell at me for being so casual. He eyed his drink. Or maybe it could have been that holding a drink was his best idea ever. You know, people expect drunkenness to have a bit of stupidity. Oh well, tonight would have to be whatever fate decided of it. He swirled the drink slowly as he watched her reaction. Those are always the best.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 01:53:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ellen watched as the man, introducing himself as Daric, shook her hand, and added playful titles to their names. Ellen gave off a annoyed chuckle as she let go of his hand. Stupido, she thought to herself. Maybe it was a stress-reliever, to joke about. Laughter was a medicine no pharmacist could recreate. He was to be on the cryogenics teams. Ellen thought that his way of joking around was going to be a good tool on their 20 years journey. She couldn't stay mad at a guy like him for too long. They had a week before launch. Whatever friendship they could establish before they were put into an icy slumber, would probably last for the whole journy. Shrugging the joke off, she ask Daric, "So, who's to know around here." Being someone taking someone else's place on the expedition, she didn't have the luxury of getting the crew roster like everyone else. Ellen felt left out in the throngs of people. She only knew one person, which was Daric, but anyone else was a mystery ... a mystery she didn't want to solve. "Truth is, I'm taking someone's place on this trip, and I don't have the crew roster. I think it would be good to know who's who when something big happens."<br><br>The tune from The Who's single, <em>Who Are You?</em> came to mind, reminding her of a Earth-based television show base on a CSI team. Ellen couldn't help but laugh at the thought of it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 02:18:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*He tapped his chin thoughtfully. The truth was he had complete access to everyone's records, so he could probably look up everything about everyone on the trip. He did have to tweak everything on their tanks. Which meant unlimited access, but he hadn't looked at a single one. He probably wouldn't till it came time for him to do his job. Where was the fun in getting to know someone when you knew everything already, down to their taste preference?* "<em>Well... I myself wouldn't know, as I've yet to peruse the database of everyone. I could slip the data your way though if you want. Although, it would have to be the roster they should have gave to everyone invited. I won't need it. My access is a bit more... extensive.</em>" *He tapped his chin thoughtfully and sipped from the mug again.* "<em>But let's see, people of note... you could always get to know anyone of a rare ethnicity, they are usually professors hunted down for this type of mission. Or someone who looks like they don't have anything better to do. Maybe even draw things on the glass of the dome. You won't get in trouble. You're just too important.</em>" *He raised his mug in a sort of cheers and downed the rest and pushing a button labeled "Dihydrogen Monoxide, Please!". Damn science humor, he chuckled.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 08:48:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard raised an eyebrow at Sarah's outburst. In all honesty he had never come across anyone who could be so socially awkward at yet at the same time so brazenly forward. He laughed.<br><br>"O.K. You got me. I confess. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever set eyes on. But since speaking to you I'm finding it's not just your body I'm attracted to. And I like the idea of mentoring you. I also stand by my word. My judgement isn't clouded about your abilities. I can see how driven you are and how much you enjoy what you do. That is the kind of attitude that makes people the best in their field."<br><br>He smiled.<br><br>"I wouldn't lable <b>all</b> of our coutship rituals deception, but I agree with you that the little mind games we humans play with each other when there is an attraction can be tiresome. Flirtation is one thing and the thrill of the chase can be fun, but 'playing hard to get' can be emotionally draining for both parties involved. Also, spoken and body language can also be easily misinterpreted."<br><br>The mood of the music at the party changed to a slower, more seductive melody.<br><br>Richard held out a hand to Sarah. "Would you like a dance? This is a party after all."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 17:21:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarah blushed and looked away slightly when Dr. Hawthorne called her beautiful. It was rare for a compliment for affect her in a positive way—coming from a wealthy family and being easy on the eyes meant that she received compliments all the time from people who used them as a means to some end. She had long since become suspicious toward praise. But in this case, with the words coming from someone she had already respected a great deal, she could take the sentiment in the spirit it was intended.<br><br>When he asked her to dance, Sarah hesitated. “I’ve never danced before,” she admitted. But she took his hand anyway. “But I guess I can just try to copy whatever it is the other female dancers do.<br><br>“Oh, and I apologize, but I can’t remember your first name for the life of me. I figure it’s probably something I should know.” She smiled sheepishly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Akhanu</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 18:10:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://slog.thestranger.com/files/2007/05/pink%20buscemi-thumb.jpg)<br><br>The man showed up at the dome main hall from an entrance where people came in from the kitchens and the food preparing areas. He had a bottle in his hand which he held as if it were a wine glass, but instead it was filled with a transparent brownish liquid. He looked around with what one could call a triumfant, victorious look and ocasionally he would stop to small groups of people and talk to them, who would giggle and laugh after a few moments of listening to his speech. He would then salute them with the bottle and step away.<br>"For humanity! For Exodius, it's 20 year mission, to explore the strange new world, to settle the new life and civilisation, to boldly go where no man has gone before!" He took a sip from the bottle, with a delicacy that was just hilarious to look at and then breathed in deep afterwards. "Yes, yes, liven up my ladies and gentlemen, this is your last chance to party for the next 20 years. You will feel sleepy, you will feel cold and when you wake up you will feel hungry and even though the experts will tell you it is not true, you will feel horny. Be prepared my travelmates, you have been crazy enough to join me in this never-before endeavour... Who would have ever thought of 3000 people getting mad at the same time in the same exact way."<br><br>He was walking around randomly, knowing little that he was in the vicinity of Richard, Sara, Daric and Ellen, none of whom he knew, scattered around the place but close enough to see him and hear what he was saying.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 19:28:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				First her laugh and now the way she blushed. Richard wondered if Sarah knew just how beautiful she really was. He made a point of getting her to blush and laugh a lot more often. He guestured toward the dancers already grouping on the dance floor. "I doubt any of them know how to dance either. It doesn't matter. All you have to do is hold on to me and sway."<br><br>He took Sarah's hand and led her toward the dance floor. A druken man suddenly blurted out something strange about the mission. Richard recognised him as Enio Pellegrini from the crew roster. His behaviour did not seem to match his service record. As the drunken man walked by Richard couldn't help but smile to himself. He leaned in to his beautiful companion and softly whispered in her ear, "looks like somebody is really enjoying the party".<br><br>He put his arms around her and started to lead her in time with the slow seductive melody, savouring the warmth and softness of her body in close proximity to his own. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>25-03-2011, 19:53:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarah left her purse at the bar and followed him onto the dance floor, where she soon became preoccupied by trying not step on her partner’s feet. She was very surprised by the drunken outburst, which came from someone she did not recognize. The few parties she had attended had been high society affairs where such behavior was unthinkable. But then, this was not intended to be a stuffy celebration.<br><br>“I suppose they’ll be more of that as the night goes on,” Sarah replied quietly, her tone slightly disapproving but also amused.<br><br>“Oh, and you forgot to answer me earlier,” she chided. “I can’t very well spend the whole night calling you ‘Dr. Hawthorne.’ It just wouldn’t be conducive to maintaining a romantic atmosphere.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 00:34:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ellen leaned in listening to what Daric had to say. As usual, as a legitimate member on the roster, Daric was given a copy of it. Ellen wasn't a legitimate member, only taking the place of Dr. Emilio Allende, her boss in the CSI lab. He would have the roster with him. "I see ... I understand," she said, leaning back on the back of her seat, pulling out her earpiece and placing it in her ear. She faced Daric one final time, saying, "It's alright, you don't need to send me the roster. I think I know somebody who has one," before getting up and walking to the railing again.<br><br>Most of her family were given a basic implant that worked with radio waves and such to aid them in contacting family and close friends. All one needed to do was to upload contact information to an external device, which would be Ellen's earpiece, and say the person's name in a normal voice and it would automatically dial whatever machine that person would use, either another earpiece, phone, or intercom. Such technology could be used from one hemisphere of the planet to the other, without using aids from a satellite in orbit. Ellen, once at the railing, she spoke out loud, saying, "Contact: Doctor Emilio Allende." Immediately the dial tone was heard through her earpiece and the line was picked up.<br><br><em>*"Dr. Allende speaking."*</em><br><br>*"Hey Boss."*<br><br><em>*"Ellen! So are you going on the Exodious expedition?"*</em><br><br>*"Yeah, I just wanted to call about the crew roster. Do you have it? It seems since I'm not actually on the roster myself, I didn't get one sent to me."*<br><br><em>*"I have it, do you want me to send it to you? It has a security clearance of Level 2, but that only one level above the civilian copy. I'll send it to your datapad."*</em><br><br>*"Oh cool, thanks, boss. Guess I'll see you in, twenty years?"*<br><br><em>*"Oh gosh, I'm going to be so old by then. Anyway, godspeed."*</em><br><br>*"Godspeed."*<br><br>The earpiece died out and Ellen placed back into her pocket. She pulled out her holopad and turned it on, revealing a message on the screen that said, "You have 1 new message!" Tapping on the message bubble opened the complete roster of the 3000 man crew of the Exodious. Since it was a Level 2 security clearance, Ellen was able to find Dr. Emilio Allende's name and open up his profile. She upload her profile over his so that her name showed up in the list of names instead of her boss's name.<br><br>Carrying the holopad back to the table, she witnessed through the glass a man, obviously drunk or close to it, jump up on the stage and take a mic in his hand. He gave a flamboyant speech about the mission, and the crowd who were interrupted only laughed instead of taking offense. Ellen searched the list of the names after taking a picture of the man using the holopad's camera. The holopad was able to search the mugshots stored in the roster and match it to the snapshot she just took. A profile immediately came up on the holopad. "Enio Pellegrini ... Astrobiology and genetics engineering," Ellen muttered.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 05:02:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*Daric sipped slowly on the water that had arrived and watched Ellen go about her business. The disturbance outside caught his eye and he just shook his head and smile. If nothing interesting grabbed his attention from drinking tonight, he might end up the same way as that man and make a fool of himself too. Although, it would make for a great laugh later.* "Enio Pellegrini..." *He jumped, not realizing she had returned to the table, and spilled mead on his shirt and jacket in the process of not toppling over.* *<em>Woo, made me wet myself there, you startled me so good. Sure you're not a spy or something. Sneaking of getting info and such.</em>" *He eyed her, mocking seriousness and laughed.* "<em>Living a life of secrecy and danger, suspicious and inquiring of every stranger. Although you've probably more to fear a rose prick than me.</em> *He pressed the com button on the table.* "<em>I've seem to have committed an act of error and gone and spilled my drink. Oh and one of those extra shirts would be nice. I'll pick it up by the bar. Thank you kindly.</em>" *Releasing the button he stood and removed the jacket to hang it up so it would dry faster. While walking th stand by the outside airlock&nbsp; he sighed as the cold hit him.* "<em>I'll have to go get that shirt.</em> *He turned his attention to Ellen and bowed slightly.* "<em>I must make a slight escape into the warmth and... clarity of the... esteemed gathering. Will thoust be accompanying me?</em>"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 13:18:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ellen looked up from her holopad to find Daric fumble with his mug of mead, some of which got onto his shirt and jacket. To his comment, she said, "Nope. I am ... was ... a criminologist. It's my job to know ... things. It's not a bad thing to know things about people."<br><br>Daric pressed one of the buttons on the table and talked to who would seemed to be someone he knew or maybe he had assistant that brought him everything. Daric took off his jacket, revealing his mead-soaked shirt ... as well as the fact that he was cold as hell on the patio without his jacket. Ellen could not help but giggle behind her breath as Daric started for the airlock. "You know ... why not? I don't have anything better to do than to look through 2,997 names and profiles," she said, responding to Daric's offer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Akhanu</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 13:59:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>~ Enio Pellegrini - "Whiskey for every ghost" ~</strong><br><br>He paused and looked around as laughter and comments started to come his way after his words regarding the mission. One of the guests cheered him and commented on whether his bottle was half full or half empty. Enio nodded. "This is an ages old question you're asking. But I'm undecided on the answer of that, to be honest with you. I have asked the same question on my friends before and more than once to the same person. And you know, the same guy said half empty one time, and half full at another time. You could say that both answers are right, I don't think we have doubts for this. But that only brings in the next question of why was the question asked on the first place when the question itself provided both answers to be correct. So you see, philosphers of times of yore have never come to agree on this. But my friend, I still say they have strayd away from the original question while the answer to it is just so much simpler. It all depends where the other half of the booze is, in ones own stomach, or in someone else's. In this viewpoint I can assure you all, this bottle is definitely half full." The man who asked the question laughed and asked him why would this answer be the proper one and Enio turned to the listening crowd with a surprised face. "Because as you all can testify, my ladies and gentlemen, only someone who doesn't contain the other half in his stomach will say it is half empty, for even if this man now took the bottle from me, half of it can never be his for it is in my stomach! It can only be half empty for him."<br><br>People laughed and lifted their glasses to a cheer. Enio bowed his head with a smile. The music shifted to a slow dance and he watched some of the youngest of the people present sour their faces as their more energetic dance and moves was put meomentarily to a halt from the change, while others happily accepted the more classical and royal style dance that matched the music. But he found it funny how the majority of them were actually struggling to dance it instead of dancing it. He eyed a classical case of when one of the pair could and the other couldn't and he chuckled. <em>I can bet my booze they are Mars born. Or 'Martians'..</em> The thought made him smile wide as looked at his bottle. "Do you feel like dancing too? Oh, well, good. You'd be stomping on my feet all the time. Let's do what we do best and kiss." He lifted the bottle again and sipped lightly from it, as delicately as before. He controlled himself very well and he was trying to do that with style!<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 15:11:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*Daric scooted into the airlock and stood to the side as Ellen filed in beside him. One, two, he counted as the air stabilized between the dome and the outside. Placing his mask up as he stepped inside, the immediate impression was that everyone was wasted. He just laughed and looked back at Ellen, cocking his brow up.* "<em>Seems the only way through this drunken mob is to dance a waltz of our own. Shall we?</em>" *He had better lines, but this one seemed to fit the mood at the moment. The man from earlier spun by with his bottle in a dancers embrace. Daric laughed and extended his hand to Ellen.* "<em>Maybe even a salsa or two could whip us through the throng and to my decidedly less wet shirt even faster.</em>"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 08:50:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"My name's Richard", he replied to Sarah's question as he led her about the dance floor in a slow waltz. He kept his arms in a respectable place above her thighs, but did run them leisurely up and down her back, staring into her eyes as they danced.<br><br>"I've never been attracted to someone this instantly before", Richard commented. "You know we should make the most of tonight. We won't see each other again for another twenty years", he joked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 10:33:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Now you're speaking my language," Ellen said, taking the offered hand and waited for Daric to lead her into a dance. Half of her was embarrassed, to have dozens of people looking at two fools dancing a salsa. The other half said to hell with it; a dance before a 20 year trip didn't hurt anybody. Seeing most of the people focusing on the fool with the bottle rather than she and Daric, she threw caution to the wind and perfectly stepped into the steps of the salsa. The one thing that Ellen managed to keep alive was her heritage, and surely she would be heritage to the garden planet they were going to travel to.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>KaraKres</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 12:22:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Shrugging off her overcoat, Luisa straightened her red cocktail dress, turning to examine herself in the entrance mirror.&nbsp; She felt odd dressed like this, complete with small diamond stud earrings and her mother's favourite pearl necklase...she would have felt more at home in her grungy mechanics overalls, elbow deep in grease, spare parts and an Capiean 38 engine that needed to be rebuilt.&nbsp; <br><br>But orders were orders, and she been told that the party was semi-complusory.&nbsp; Apparently this party was meant to be the big shindig before they headed out into the black to expand the reach of mankind into the 'verse.<br><br>Luisa shook her head at the imagery and wondered again at the ease with which she had been accepted into the Exodius Project.&nbsp; She knew she was skilled in management and finances, but her true love and talent lay with mechanics, especially propulsion systems.&nbsp; She had an undeniable aptitude with engines, no an almost preternatural understanding of how the engine wanted to operate, and instinctive appreciation for how every ball-bearing, every washer and every screw, twisted and turned...still that didn't answer the question why she, Luisa Ravenstein, unqualified mechanic, petty criminal and postgraduate dropout should be here, dressed to the nines and apparently expected to mix with some of the best scientific minds in the 'verse.<br><br>Knowing that a drink or two would take off the edge, Luisa walked to the bar as a very attractive couple left the bar and made their way to the dance floor.&nbsp; Her analytical mind shuffled through the memorised crew roster and she remembered their faces...a couple of the superbrains...Luisa vaguely remembered that the girl...Suzie...Susan...Sarah! was some kind of teenage genius with robots or some such thing.&nbsp; Luisa didn't know alot about robots, except in a mechanical sense, but she knew that Sarah was all kinds of beautiful.&nbsp; The guy wasn't too bad either and she idly fantasised about bedding either one of them...<em>Shucks girl, you're gonna have to wait twenty years before you get to play...not that you'll remember it...</em>.&nbsp; Luisa wondered if she would be able to convince one of the cryo engineers to run some form of bio-stimulation while she was on ice so that she would be enjoying herself...she chuckled and ordered a double vodka on the rocks.<br><br>Taking her first sip of alcohol since Charlie had been killed, Luisa began to carefully scan the large room, looking for any talent that might provide a distraction to the looming thought of 20 years of unconsciousness and a leap into the great unknown.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Akhanu</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 14:43:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				~ <strong>Enio Pellegrini - Retro inside a Marsian Dome</strong> ~<br><br>He stood calmly and looked about as the people around him were all little by little adapting to this much softer music than the ravelike beats of before. He slightly smiled and lightly closed his eyes. A couple near him were struggling to keep in sync with each other, two others were mutually clarifying their feetwork in slow motion disregarding the music, yet another pair were hearing their own band playing a different tune in their heads and were moving in a mixture of salsa for the man and merengue for the woman. He didn't need these distractions, the music was worth to be heared unspoiled and he stood imobile and with closed eyes listening to the soft music, an orchestral piece of the 20th century which reminded him su much his home, the Moon. His memories flowed in when his father took him to the telescope of the oxygen facility and they would look at the Earth for hours. It was truly beautiful and no other place compared to it. He had traveled to almost every moon in the system, he had seen all sorts of orbital landscapes, but not a single one compared to the Earth! Its colours and atmospherical whirls, the icecaps of the Arctic and Antarctida, the yellowness of north Afrika, the deep blue of the water in the oceans. His father always told him that it had once contained the green colour of the vegetation and plants and the forrests, but which now were not there, not enough to show up on the telescope at least. And to prove his point he plaied over records of the telescope of times past where such green was magical and enthralling. The music made all of these more vivid and alive and he felt a sense of longing. Also he felt a mixture of other emotions, not entirely friendly ones, which he always dismissed and didn't want to dwell upon.<br><br>He opened his eyes again and smiled while his eyes looked at point blank somewhere beyond the wide glass of the dome and onto the Martian landscape outside. He turned slowly and with unhurried steps headed towards the nearest bar. He wanted to sit and his eyes picked an empty stool in the line. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 16:40:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*As Ellen flawlessly steeped into the salsa, Daric couldn't help but grin. A dance from centuries ago that originated on earth and he finds someone who actually did know it.* "<em>You know, I was kidding about the salsa, but hell, you do make a good salsa partner. All we need are the chips and we have a party!</em>" *Almost as corny as corn chips, but who cared? He laughed as they whirled, him leading the dance ever closer to the bar and his new shirt. They whirled into a rhythm of their own, the music not helping with the step, and ignored the eyes that began turning onto them as they passed.* "<em>Seems we might steal the spotlight before long, You would think these people had never seen some decent salsa footwork in their life!</em>" *Which may indeed have been the case. Just a few more steps and they reached the bar anyway. He signaled the end of the dance with a final twirl that left Ellen leaned against his right arm. He looked to her and smiled.* "<em>Pretty good, never would have expected to find such grandiose at a party such as this.</em>" *He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. Then he grinned, letting her go and she fell two inches onto the seat she had been hovering over. He grinned at her reaction and just called the barkeep over.*<br><br>*Daric received the shirt and also a towel. He looked around for a second, then shrugging, he said.* "<em>When in Rome.</em>" *He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it into the crowd, receiving mild shrieks of surprise as someone was probably momentarily blinded. Laughing he wiped himself dry and when someone pointed at him, he made a show of covering himself in mock surprise. This elicited cries of laughter and he went on to dry himself. He set the towel on the other side of the counter and donned the new shirt, buttoning it up. To Ellen he said.* "<em>Part of the suit I bought in case this was a fancy thing. Can't hurt to have an ace up the sleeve.</em>" *He laughed and sat beside her at the bar.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 16:43:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarah smiled when she learned his name. <em>Richard.</em> As bad as she was with names, she did not think she would forget this one.<br><br>As her initial apprehension about being on the dance floor faded slightly, she became more conscious of the intimacy of the setting. He was actually holding her, and she could see her own sudden infatuation with him reflected in his eyes. She felt giddy and fearful at the same time, and very conscious of every little touch. “It’s still hard to believe, the idea that twenty years will pass without experiencing a moment of it. My parents told me I should send a message to them as soon as I can after we arrive, but even that will take still more years just to cross the distance from the new colony to home.<br><br>“Although I guess pretty soon I’ll have to stop thinking of Mars as home—even if everything goes exactly to plan, this is a one-way trip.” The young tech worried she was sounding a bit too grim. “But all that aside, this has sort of turned into a date if I’m not mistaken. Maybe you could tell me more about yourself?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 20:35:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It looked foolish, doing salsa steps to a Martian beat going at the wrong tempo. Daric and Ellen danced to their own music, which garnered a few turning of heads in their direction. Ellen giggled as she danced as she heard about the salsa joke, though never missing a step when she did so. "Most of these people only dance the Martian hop. The only salsa they've heard of is the one that chips dive in," she said.<br><br>"We Hispanic people, we never forget our heritage and culture. Even after twenty years, culture never dies. It dies with ignorance," she said as she sat on a bar stool. She removed her jacket, revealing the black tanktop underneath, and folded it, placing it on the counter. She just momentarily saw what looked like Daric's shirt fly into the crowd like a Speedball. Daric put on a new one to replace the one he threw at someone's face. When he sat down next to her, she said, "I've never seen a non-Hispanic danced like that before. Where did you learn it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 21:48:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard smiled at Sarah's remark that their meeting had turned into a date.<br><br>"Yes. I suppose it has. Well What would you like to know about me? I'm a pure-born Martian like yourself. Both my parents were Martians. My mother is an Environmental Biologist and my father served in the Martian Navy. I have a younger sister who is always joing some deep space expeditionary team or another. I like loud music, hot food and cats.."<br><br>He paused.<br><br>"I'm sorry, I'm begining to sound like I'm advertising myself for a dating agency, Aren't I? What about yourself. Is there any family who'll miss you?"<br><br>&nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 22:12:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*He waved his hand about and laughed.* "<em>Well I found a book of of traditional dances and I happened to learn a couple on my free time. It's hard to salsa with hydraulic tubes, but I don't think it turned out too bad. Wouldn't you agree?</em>" *He smoothed out the shirt and started picking lint from it as he listened. Lint can be so tedious to remove sometimes.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>28-03-2011, 22:38:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Well, I am leaving behind three older siblings and my parents,” Sarah told her dancing partner. “As to whether they’ll miss me... I suppose so, but only because people tend to romanticize the past. I was never really close to anyone to begin with, and things got worse a couple years ago. I won’t bore you with the long version, but basically my father wanted to dictate the course of my life, and I rebelled in a way that severely alienated the whole family. I haven’t seen them in person in two years, and all of them said some pretty hateful things to me initially. I was cut out of my parents’ will—as if I cared—and they didn't even bother to contest it when I got myself legally emancipated. Thankfully I already was working as a tech writer by that point, reviewing mostly commercial products.<br><br>“But things changed when everyone realized I had signed on with <em>the Exodious</em>—my father feared he’d driven me to it, which isn’t the case, but he’s never understood that. There were a lot of forced apologies and outright bribes—my father offered to put me back in the will. And give me any position I wanted in the company, up to and including VP of engineering. A teenage executive—talk about nepotism. I don’t think he even really thought that offer through, I think he was just desperate.” She shook her head slightly. “I can at least take it was indirect evidence he loves me—he’d certainly never say it.<br><br>“Anyway, in a couple hours I’ll have to leave the party because I agreed to see all of them one last time. I guess so they can all pretend they were closer to me than they really were, so they can then feel good about themselves and the terms we’re parting on. I guess I’ll just play along—I don’t want to leave on a sour note and make them all feel bad about it.<br><br>“Sorry, I guess I rambled a bit there. I think our song is ending—do you want to go back to the bar, or maybe take a walk outside?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 02:11:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Daric's steps weren't perfect, but Ellen reassured him that it was okay. "It wasn't bad. I'm not a perfect dancer either," she said. "Actually, I haven't danced like that since I was a kid." The truth was that she hasn't danced since her father died at a young age. Ellen stared away and at the counter, reliving that memory in her mind. She did a good job fighting her tears, something her father told her to do in future.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 03:08:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*Daric stopped picking the lint and looked in the direction she had. Not seeing anything too interesting, he guessed she had zoned into her mind. He sighed and leaned back. Tonight was pretty awesome, he had had mead, danced with a pretty girl, and most importantly, made the window washer angry. He chuckled at that thought and looked to the clock on the wall. Tonight would be coming to a close soon. He shook his head and humorously added.* "<em>Oh, woe is me, for as the night falls, my heart aches for the joys one finds under the stars. The joys, of women and booze, throughout many bars.</em>" *An old saying his friends at work used to say. Nevertheless, it always made him laugh. He noticed another lady on his right in a stunning red dress and waved to her in pretty much the same manner as he had Ellen, not exactly expecting any response. He just liked to keep people on their toes. He smiled and resumed leaning back, waiting for Ellen to pass her moment. For some reason he felt it a rather personal one.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 03:40:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Not breaking her view of the moisture on the counter, Ellen glanced to her side, seeing Daric wave at someone at the same manner as he did when she was lounging on the second floor. Thinking her moment of silence was too long, one that Daric had respectfully avoided to interrupt, Ellen looked up and flagged down the bartender. "I'll have a Corona please," she ordered. The bartender nodded and then went to the back, possibly getting a bottle from a secret stash away from the modern Martian eyes. Her family, most notably the males in her family loved the old beverage of Earth, before it was burned that is. As the bartender placed a cold bottle on the counter and opened it for her, she picked up the bottle and observed it. The gold liquid inside the slender bottle gleamed in the lights, as much as the chandelier did in the lobby. The text on the bottle had been faded and weathered with age, but in the same case as wine, the old Corona seemed to have an acquired taste when drunk a century later. "I feel like preserving the past, as we head into the future," Ellen said, though not looking at Daric. She knew he heard her, but thought his interests fell on the girl in the red dress.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 07:09:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*He nodded at her comment.* "<em>It's not that we just remember it, but how we remember it. What good does it do us if we just remember the past for how horrible it's been, then we miss the good bits. If we just remember the good bits, then we miss the lessons provided from our mistakes. Both elements are to be observed to truly understand our past. I read that in a book once. Sounds nice and simple when you actually say it though.</em>" *He laughed and reached over for the mead that had appeared covertly. He took a sip as he watched Ellen, intent as she seemed to lift the beads of moisture from the table. What a sight that would be. He smiled at his own thoughts. He thought about his work ahead and smiled at the good thoughts of seeing plenty of naked women as he helped them into their tanks and then frowned as he knew he would be helping the men too.* "<em>Jeez.</em>" *He said aloud without realizing it and cleared his mind of such images. Leaning back he continued to sip his mead while watching Ellen from the corner of his eye.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 09:37:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard listened with a sad smile to Sarah's talk about her parents. He had always got on well with his own mother and father and would miss them. His little sister, too. <br><br>"That final meeting with your parents is important to you, isn't it? You should stand up for what you believe in but if it was me I would choose my words carefully with them. Tell them that you love them but this is your life and this is what you want to do with it."<br><br>It wasn't much in the way of advice, but Richard wasn't sure what to say. If he had known Sarah for longer he'd have offered to come with her for moral support, but it was hardly his place to gatecrash on a private family reunion.<br><br>The music finally stopped. Richard took Sarah's Arm. "A walk outside sounds like a good idea. When are you planning to leave the party? Not too soon I hope? We're just getting to know each other, after all."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eliza</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 11:24:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ellen took a couple of swigs of the golden liquid, savoring the taste of more than a century old liquor. Ellen looked up when Daric blurted out a remark, to which she asked, "Excuse me?" looking up at the man. She rested her right elbow on the counter and her chin on her palm, and then looked up, continuing to take swigs from the bottle. Ellen read Daric's head shaking, assuming that he was referring to nothing. She turned back to her drink, but couldn't help but glance through the corner of her eye and see what antics Daric was currently doing to cause him to blurt out the remark.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 13:08:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“I’ve still got two hours left. Let me just get my things.” She left his side to go retrieve her coat, and her purse where she had left her micro re-breather. Once they were both ready, she followed him into the airlock and out onto the heated patio.<br><br>Outside, she looked over the Martian landscape. Her voice sounded slightly different through the re-breather when she spoke. “I never thought I’d miss Mars, but there’s a stark beauty here that I’ll regret never seeing again. On the other hand, our new home will have so much more in common with Earth before the Burn. Can you imagine seeing a truly untamed wilderness, with tangled forests, endless oceans, and windswept plains? Pristine like the world of prehistoric man. I’m so glad I only have to wait a week for it—those poor guys who run the cryogenics will have to take years of shifts maintaining the systems.<br><br>“I’ll be jealous of whoever is first outside the ship, and takes that first step on a world outside our solar system.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dracoat</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 14:44:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				* Feeling Ellen's eyes upon him he knew he had to come up with something. This something provided itself in the form of some of the colonists trying to leave early. A good majority stumbled, while others had arms around a women... or three.* "<em>Geez</em>" *He said it again while indicating to the leaving groups. He laughed as he sipped his own drink, a warm flush rising up his neck as the fermented honey finally started kicking in. He would probably look just as foolish as those that left, if he even left.* "<em>Shome people jush don't know how to contain themshelves.</em>" *He laughed softly at himself as he slurred the words purposefully.*
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 18:39:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Whilst Sarah retrieved her coat and purse, Richard got his own jacket and micro-rebreather. Once outside he surveyed the landscape whilst placing an arm around her.<br><br>"Adam and Eve return to the garden of Eden", Richard said in response to Sarah's comments. ~I wonder what fruits of knowledge lie before us, and if there are are any serpents there~ he thought to himself.<br><br>There was a moment of silence where Richard simply enjoyed the view of the martian landscape and the close proximity of his beautiful companion. Finally he spoke.<br><br>"You never did tell me what you like to do to relax", he observed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 20:28:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarah laughed slightly at the Adam and Eve comment. “I suppose in the figurative sense we’ll all fit that role—it could be that hundreds of years from now there will be people on a thriving world, tracing their family trees back to us.” The tech immediately realized what she had accidentally implied and blushed. “I meant ‘us’ as in all the colonists, not us personally.” Not that she would rule out the possibility—though even Sarah knew that was not something one purposely alluded to on a first date.<br><br>After he reiterated his older question, she continued. “Just be thankful we won’t be Adam and Eve literally—alone with me, you’d be bored to tears in no time. All I do in my free time is study, read, watch vids, and occasionally listen to music. Not that I’m completely averse to finding new interests, I’ve just never taken the time.<br><br>“Anyway, I mostly just listen to classical music if I want to relax, but I can’t claim to be very knowledgeable about the composers and history and such. I usually read non-fiction—philosophy, science topics, and of course plenty of stuff directly related to engineering and my field. Although I also read some fantasy and old science-fiction. That’s about it.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>30-03-2011, 09:22:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard looked at Sarah with a sideways glance. "Bored? With you? I doubt it. Classical music isn't entirely to my taste but I don't entirely dislike it. "The hall of the Mountain King" is one of my favourites. I forget the composer. I also happen to like the odd vid or two. We could spend evenings cuddled up watching vids and drinking wine. What's not to like? What vids do you like to watch anyway?" <br><br>He looked once more out at the Martian landscape. "I wonder if they will have land-skimmers on board". A land skimmer was a&nbsp; two seater "bike" that ran off anti gravity. Highly manouverable and incredibly fast they were often used for scouting due to the fact that they could ride over almost any terrain.<br><br>"I sometimes race land-skimmers in m spare time. If we take any with us and we have access to them, I'll take you for a ride sometime."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>KaraKres</strong> on <strong>30-03-2011, 12:51:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Luisa sipped her vodka, she saw that the party hadn't really ever got going.&nbsp; People where beginning to drift off, some to the bar, others outside.&nbsp; One of the males she'd seen dancing earlier was now at the bar with an attractive woman.&nbsp; He waved kind of oddly at her...Luisa merely curled the corner of her mouth up in a mock smile, acknowledging his presence but little else.<br><br>The young business manager-cum-mechanic scanned the room once again, looking for anyone that would make for suitable company for her last night on Mars, which had been her home for her entire 27 years.&nbsp; Spotting a young and fit young guy who was unsuccessfully trying to hit on an equally young and attractive female, Luisa decided to make his night.<br><br>Walking boldly up to him she took his hand and pulled herself close, whispering in his ear that if he wanted to have some great sex then he should follow her.&nbsp; She watched as he was momentarily torn between trying his luck with the other woman or what appeared to be a sure thing.&nbsp; He decided that Luisa's offer was too good to turn down and quickly fell into step next to her...<br><br>...back at her small apartment, Luisa and her nameless lover lay back, chests heaving from their recent rapid exertions.&nbsp; As they had walked back, she vaguely remembered him mumbling something about being a research assistance...she had hushed him with a finger on his mouth and simply said, "Honey if I wanted to get to know you I would have asked already...you and me are gonna be frozen for 20 years, we can do all the 'my name is BS' when we thaw out.&nbsp; For now I just wanna have sex.&nbsp; Good sex."<br><br>She smiled at the memory of the brief conversation...Mission accomplished.<br><br>And now she mentally scolded herself it was time for sleep.&nbsp; Soon she would be snap-frozen along with thousands of other want-to-be-colonists and Luisa was damn sure this would one sleep that she enjoyed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>30-03-2011, 17:27:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC: Since the GM wants this thread to wrap up, I’m going to fast-forward a bit.)<br><br>“I don’t really watch too many vids,” Sarah replied. “Mostly documentaries and the occasional movie. I do like that show <em>Oxy</em>—that’s the one about the counter-terrorist group that’s set during the oxygen riots of the 80’s. Too bad I’ll be frozen during the last series. Oh, also I like some old-timey cinema—I had a passing interest in pre-Burn Japanese culture and I saw a lot of samurai films by Kurosawa and others.<br><br>“I guess I’d be willing to try riding on a land-skimmer with you—just as long as its just a ride and not an actual race! I’m not one for real danger. I don’t know if there are any land-skimmers aboard <em>the Exodious,</em> but I do know that three weeks after planet-fall the automated factories will start accepting orders for non-essential goods. They’ll be quite a queue though.”<br><br>Sarah conversed with Richard on various topics for the next couple hours. It was mostly small-talk, though they did get back around to technical and science topics for a while. They went back inside after some time on the patio, though at times the party got distractingly loud. She was amazed at how quickly she had become comfortable around him, and how little her usual shyness hindered her when it was just the two of them alone.<br><br>When it was time for her to leave in order to have dinner with her family, Richard insisted on walking Sarah to the nearby transit station. They cycled through an airlock and into the monorail terminal. Sarah took off her micro-rebreather and removed her coat to fold it over her arm. “I had a really good time,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. She wondered if they would kiss—embarrassingly, that would be a first for her. “The first week after planet-fall I’ll be pulling double shifts, but after that I hope we can go on another date, or just hang out...” she trailed off, unsure of what to say or do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Starchaser</strong> on <strong>30-03-2011, 18:44:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC: No problem I'll wrap my side up as well now)<br><br>The more Richard and Sarah had talked the more she grew on him. He actually found her nerdiness and Naivety quite refreshing. Finally he walked Sarah back to the transit station.<br><br>When they said their goodbyes and Sarah suggested another date Richard's heart lept.<br><br>"I'd really like that", he said.<br><br>There was a moment of silence when Richard was unsure what to do next. Eventually he decided to go for it. He put his arms around Sarah and closed his mouth around hers in a long and passionate kiss. He eventually broke away from the kiss reluctantly.<br><br>"Untill we meet again. Which will probably be in twenty years. I hope you'll remember me then", he joked. "I certainly could never forget you".<br><br>He lingered for a while watching Sarah enter the station and only started back when her beautiful form was out of sight. All in all today had been a very good day.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Prelaunch of the Exodious</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Joslyn</strong> on <strong>30-03-2011, 19:29:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sarah was excited when Richard kissed her, though she found the sensation strange. It was one thing to watch two people kiss in a vid, it was another to actually have someone’s tongue invade one’s mouth. Still, she found she rather liked it and returned the kiss with enthusiasm. “I suppose the two weeks I experience before our next date will feel like the twenty years I’ll miss,” she said after she had reluctantly withdrawn from his embrace. “And thank you for making my first kiss as memorable as I could have hoped.”<br><br>She smiled at him, and then walked away toward the waiting monorail—though before entering she looked back one last time and waved. Then she went inside and took a seat. She wondered what the future held—what might happen with this new romance, what would happen to her family after she departed the solar system, what experiences her future career and time after the colonization would bring. As optimistic as she was at the moment, she could not help but to feel a little apprehensive as well.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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