Pioneers: The Search for a New Earth

[Lady Velvet]

(This is a roleplay that has been continued from the roleplay tabs. You can find the older parts of the roleplay here.)

Launch Date: September 8, 2289
Current Date: September 9, 2289

In the year 2034, technology had developed so much that scientists could send satellites far off into other galaxies. One American satellite, IOXIDE (Intergalactic OXIde DEtector) discovered a planet with an atmosphere startlingly similar to Earth's; in theory, human life on it could be easily sustainable.

The news spread across the world, and a technological competition unseen since the Cold War ensued. Over the next two centuries, this "Second Space Race" led to the discovery of scores of planets that humans could potentially inhabit. In 2289, the three world powers - The United States, the French Empire (which takes up most of West Europe), and China - made a collaborative effort to create the Pioneer Space Travel Program.

To go through basic training for the Pioneer Program, the governments chose 10,000 promising youngsters between the ages of 10 and 18. These kids trained for six months, and at the end the 300 best were chosen and given another year of training to teach them their respective roles: Scientist, Navigator, Runner, Caretaker, or Recorder. Then, they were placed on ten ships, all called the Pioneer (Pioneer I, Pioneer VI, Pioneer X, etc.).

These ships are large enough to accommodate 50 people for long trips and and fast enough condense a five-year journey to only a month. The children are to spend the rest of their lives on the Pioneers, traveling from planet to planet, not simply as scientists, but as colonists.

Back on Earth in 2289, the population is bulging at 7.8 billion. Natural resources are running low, and mankind has abused the environment. The Earth governments are scrambling to right the wrongs they have done to their environment, but their attempts may be too little, too late. As a precaution against a very real danger, they are looking for a new home in outer space. The reason the governments picked scientists so young is because they are also meant to be the first generation of the New Earth.

These children spend almost all of their lives on the Pioneers. Occasionally, they land on a new planet where they can explore and socialize with kids from the other ships. But it's not all fun and games: each person is assigned a role to carry out during their lifetime on the Pioneer.

Scientists-in-Training follow science mentors, collecting specimens and learning how to test planets to see if they can sustain life - or if there is already life on them. They keep records of their findings and are required to go to "school" longer than the other kids. Most kids become scientists. Once the mentors leave, the trainees become real scientists; the most promising scientist-in-training is selected as the Head of the ship's department, and the others work under him or her.

Caretakers-in-Training are destined to watch over the other kids - mostly the offspring of the original Pioneers. They must know how to cook, clean, teach classes, nurse injuries, and tend to the ship. A Caretaker's job starts as soon as there is a child to care for.

Navigators-in-Training are trained to become pilots of the Pioneer ships once the pilots before them grow too old. They have to know how to care for the ship to ensure that it is always in good condition. Navigators-in-Training typically begin to take control of the ship when they are between eighteen and twenty Of the six, a Head Pilot and Co-Pilot are chosen, and the other four operate the rest of the controls and maintain the ship. Navigators are not allowed to have children.

Recorders are usually the most creative or expressive individuals on the ship. They are often assigned to take notes on the scientists' discoveries because they can see things from a different perspective. They are also required to write a daily journal of life on the ships. Recorders are never in a training stage; they begin their job on their first day.

Runners have to do most of the exploring on the new planets. They can often find themselves in dangerous situations, so they must know the proper use of the space suits and all the weaponry given to them. They have to go through much more physical training than the other kids. They begin making runs at a very young age, but usually only the older kids are allowed to make runs by themselves.

The 300 kids aboard the Pioneers I-X will spend their entire lives traveling the unknown universe. On their journeys, they will experience the internal trials that every human goes through - anger, fear, and even love - but they will also encounter the kind of phenomena that no human has ever seen before.

[Headroller]

OOC: I guess I'll kick things off from where we stopped.

Nick Mechling
P1 Runner
P1 Lounge

Nick looked at Sophie strangely for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden retraction. 'Whats eating her?' he wondered. Konako offered a bit of encouragement before sweeping away our trays at the announcement. I openly groaned at breakfast ending before I could get a second plate, but dutifully followed the crowd out into the lounge side by side with Sophie.

"Let's get going. I'm ready to see that gym!"

"Right behind you!" Nick says.

Her change of attitude was again bemusing to Nick. 'What's going on in that beautiful head of yours? Should I even ask?'

'Yes,' he answered himself, 'We're going to be stuck in this tin can for decades together.'

'And...?'

'And everyone needs to be psychologically stable. Sophie obviously doesn't like secrets. They eat at her, causing emotional and possibly physical distress. Not a good mental state for a Runner.'

'But-'

'She could be that way normally? No way. She wouldn't have been admitted...'

"...not as a Runner," Nick mused quietly. "Maybe I should ask," he mumbled, looking up from the floor around him to see Sophie standing next to him.

As they exit the Dinning Hall, he turns to her, pulling a smile over his somber face. "Soph," he said, "Do you mind if we have a private chat later? Between friends I mean." Behind the confident and inviting smile, Nick was at odds with himself still, yet, he knew that something wasn't right. Not at all.

[Lady Velvet]

Sophie Delcambre
PI Runner
PI Lounge

As Sophie strolled through the lounge with Nick, she heard him murmur something, but she couldn't make out the words. She turned to him and cocked her head to the side. "Hm? Did you say something?"

Now that she faced Nick head-on, she could see that something was wrong. He was looking at her strangely, his expression troubled. Immediately, Sophie assumed the worst, and her heart skipped a beat. Of course he had figured it out! While she was aware of the conspicuousness of her mood swings, for some reason she couldn't do anything to contain them. She acted like a girl who was keeping a secret. She bit her lip worriedly. She had never had a skill for lying, which was probably why she had ended up in the Pioneer Program in the first place...

She cringed when Nick asked the dreaded question.

"Soph, do you mind if we have a private chat later? Between friends I mean."

His improvised nickname for her seemed to put her at ease, but only marginally. She still felt sick in the pit of her stomach. Somehow, she managed a smile. "Sure, Nick. Perhaps after Orientation? We don't have much time right now."

That should buy her some time. Sophie would have the rest of the day to either come up with an acceptable lie...or decide to tell him the truth.

[Nogond]

Oscar sat on his bed the nightmares wouldn't stop. Everytime he closed his eyes the images began again. The images showed the war and it's horrors. How French legionaires burned and killed everything in it's path. Soon a tear formed on his cheek and ran down, he quickly wiped it away and heard his stomach rumble. "Time to find some food then." He said to himself and left the room.

[Oran Tarlin]

Joy. "Orientation"

To face east? What was so great about East? In the morning it would hurt your eyes, in the afternoon it would just be uneventful. Compasses pointed North, and they were useless in space, how had the world not outgrown such useless obsolete terminology?

Humanity was well into the Age of Aquarius, yet still countries had borders, and no one was living in some random world state, there were still wars, held back from the Age of Aries, just disgusting.

Admittedly... if one was moving through space, wouldn't their astrological vibration change.... the angles were all different...

Kyri's eyes were wide as she stepped out of the Orientation room, surely she should have been listening, but what would they say that would honestly matter? Everything she knew was going to crumble!

She could get a smart Scientist working on the equations... maybe get a computer program to naturally track the change in angles. What about students born away from Earth? It wasn't hard to imagine, this was a ship full of teenagers, youth and reflexes aside, it was a hormonal mess. Surely some Scorpio would be bedding a poor Libra before they passed Mars.

It was incredibly humbling that technically, Kyri was now gliding through the various houses of astrology right then. Was she enacting her influence on some innocent people down below?

The astrological implications of the thing!
"God I'm glad this stuff isn't real" She said, absentmindedly, looking around worriedly... but if it was, and it hadn't been wrong yet... but it had no proof...

There couldn't possibly be a less eligible nut job on the Pioneer voyage. The thought that a dedicated scientific mission would be sullied by a complete igno-

Oh thank god lunch.