(I'll start this now so it doesn't become a forgotten RP. I am still accepting sign-ups until I get a good few people on-board. @Eluuna ) The year was X245. The crew upon the Silver Lining had been drifting through space for a while now. They had just finished up their latest job and were waiting for something new. Jared was in the captain's seat, viewing a star map of the area, reviewing each planet and possible job opportunities. A small node on a panel to his right began flashing. His second-in-command, a young, petite woman with short, silver hair and bright, blue eyes, named Julie Bishop, began to check up on the panel. "Captain" She began. Her smooth voice matched her looks. "We have received a message from the Laharan royal family. It appears they require assistance with the transportation a unique Laharan artefact and have requested our assistance. It is likely that they heard from our last employer and requested our assistance personally" Landon thought for a moment. "Our last employer... Who was that again? Oh! That fuel corporation, right?" "Affirmative" Julie replied. "They request that we speak with the Laharan King immediately. Shall I accept, sir?" "Ehh... Sure. We could use the cash. How much are they paying?" Landon inquired. "1000 Laharan gems. Which is approximately 10,000 Galactic Credits" Julie calculated without hesitating. Landon almost fell out of his chair. "10,000?!" Julie nodded. "And that is just for agreeing to meet them" "Set a course, now!" Landon commanded, obvious excitement in his voice. The navigator to his left, a burly man with tanned skin and rugged facial hair began tapping away at a holographic star-map. A miniature blue, translucent woman appeared from Landon's left arm rest. She spoke with an organic-synthetic hybrid voice. "Co-ordinates have been set, captain." She turned to face the main window of the bridge. He voice could be heard throughout the entire ship "Preparing for light-speed. Light-speed commencing in 5... 4... 3..."
Gwen heard the countdown, and looked up at the ceiling, brushing auburn hair out of her eyes. The warps always made her feel nauseous, no matter how often the occurred. Somehow, her stomach always knew that it was not supposed to be moving so fast. Crossing her arms over her belly and leaning against a wall, Gwen slid down, and sat on the ground, waiting for it to be over.
The ship jumped to lights-speed and jolted across the galaxy towards Lahari, a large desert planet. Landon stood up from his chair and began walking towards the elevator. Before so, he pressed a button on the device he wore on his wrist. "Attention all landing crew, prepare yourselves and meet at the cargo hold for debriefing in 10 minutes." His voice also echoed throughout the ship. He pressed a button in the elevator and began to descend.
(Quick question, what exactly is my role on the ship?) "Ugh.." Gwen groaned, standing up. After taking a moment to debate whether or not she had enough time to get to her room and then back to the cargo hold, she sighed, turned on her heel, and began walking in the direction of the meeting location. As she walked, she took an elastic band off her wrist, and placed it between her teeth, tying her hair back in a messy ponytail. She fastened it, and arrived in the cargo hold.
(Well... you can be a general crew member that goes on missions and more...) The elevator slowed to a stop and opened up its doors. Landon stepped out and watched as his crew gathered together. "I see everyone made it here on time." He said as he surveyed his crew. "I've gathered you here because we'll be landing on Lahari to speak with their ruler. He has a rare artefact they they want us to transport for them. Grab some oxygen gear and prepare for landing." He waved his hand to a wall behind the crew of 5 people.
(Awesome, thank you!) Gwen turned and grabbed her supplies, pulling the strap over her head, and letting her mask hang around her neck. She felt for her pistol on her hip for reassurance, and turned back, awaiting further instruction.
"Oh God," Gwen muttered, leaning against the wall, and holding onto a pipe with one hand, and rubbing her temple with the other.
The ship began to edge it way towards the surface. The landing gear engaged and could be heard in the cargo bay. The bay shuddered and shook as the landing gear made contact with the coarse, dry, sandy ground below. Red lights flashed as the ramp leading into the cargo bay lowered, allowing entrance to the barren planet. Landon went first and waled down the ramp, his crew in tow.
The first step onto the ground made Gwen pause. It had been a while since she had been on sand, and the feeling was almost surreal. She knelt down, and took a handful, the grains slipping through her fingers.
The sun blared down on the planet and the sand was warm and rough. Landon took a few steps forward and looked around, using his hand to block the sun from shining in his eyes. He could see a building in the distance and what seemed to be a group of humanoid figures heading their way from that direction. "Look lively. Here comes our welcoming crew" He said to the group.
Gwen stood up, and followed Landon's line of sight. She wasn't sure she recognized the humanoid creatures, but she wasn't sure if 'welcome crew' was the best way to describe them. Perhaps it was her paranoia, or her dislike of unfamiliar surroundings, but to Gwen, the approaching group seemed more like prison guards.
As the figures got closer, it could be seen that they were on some kind of long, flat vehicle. It slowed to a stop a few metres away. Two of Laharans stepped off the vehicle and walked towards Landon's crew. "Greetings, humans." One spoke up, his voice was surprisingly human with little to no accent. The Laharans were tall creatures with tentacle-like limbs and skin the colour of turquoise. They were dressed in long, red robes with white lacing at each ends of the robe. He and his companion bowed to Landon and Landon bowed back. "We have been expecting you. If you can please step aboard, we can begin discussing the job." The second Laharan said. She looked almost identical to her male counterpart with only smaller differences. She was slightly shorter with a more blueish colour to her skin than turquoise. Landon looked back and beckoned his crew to follow.
The vehicle intrigued Gwen. She ran through the mechanics of it in her head, but as she got on it, her interest turned to the conversation regarding the job. The captain seemed eager, at the very least, which was good. That meant more money.
The vehicle flew across the ground flawlessly, sand blown behind them. Surprisingly, the air around them seemed clear and sand free, probably due to some kind of Laharan technology. The breeze was cool under the large Laharan sun. It was much larger then Earth's sun. The male Laharan turned to Landon. "Our king is expecting you. He is eager to negotiate the work you will be doing." "Cool..." Landon began. "Your message said something about an acceptance pay... You know... a little something for coming out here..." "That will come later, sir. For now the king awaits you" The female Laharan spoke up.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. It made sense, of course, that the pay wouldn't be given until they had accepted, but Gwen still had misgivings about the place. She lightly rested her hand on her concealed weapon, just in case, and stared out onto the horizon as they sped over the desert.
As they neared closer to the planet's capital, the sky began to transition from a dry, orange-yellow tone to a much more calming violet as the sun hid away in the horizon. The vehicle began to slow to a halt in front of a large sandstone structure. Its two large, grand pillars loomed over the minuscule vehicle, parting way for its large entrance. The enormous stone doors were constantly held ajar for those wanting to pass in and out of the Laharan territory. The group entered the kingdom and were greeted by a surprising green greeting. Grassy fields and lush trees gave for a confusing first impression as a bright blue, cloudless sky shone through a seemingly missing ceiling. The air around them had also changed. The feeling of coarse, dry sand in the air was now that of a cool summer breeze, lightly grazing the skin of the Silver Lining crew. It felt pleasant. Before Landon could even speak up, the male Laharan interrupted him. "As you see, our technology allows us to simulate ecosystems from other planets and use it for our own purposes. We knew you would be visiting so we decided to simulate Earth's summer atmosphere, including exact vapour levels in the air for optimal adaptation." "That's... very interesting." Landon replied, quite amazed at the Laharan's handiwork.
Gwen glanced around at the area, with a mixture of amusement and awe. London never had the summers that this model depicted, but she closed her eyes as the cool air hit her cheeks, and she felt relaxed, if only for a second. The moment passed, and she opened her eyes again. Despite their kindness, this still felt suspicious, and she was on alien ground, literally. She shifted her weight onto another foot, and waited patiently. (I'm not going to have her say anything just yet.)
The vehicle passed buildings of unique and similar architecture. It was a plethora of fantastic sights. The alien hosts drove the crew straight forward towards the obviously largest building in the civilisation; the Castle. The castle was a multi-domed structure with 2 tall towers connected to one larger building, reaching all the way up to the 'sky'. The closer the crew got, the larger it seemed to become. As the vehicle got closer to the stairs to the castle, it slowly ground to a halt. The Laharans stepped off and so did the crew. "If you would like to follow us..." The female Laharan began. "We can begin the meeting soon" The grand hallway was big. It's floors and stairs were coated on long, red, velvet carpet and the golden chandeliers hung from above. Grand doors led to separate parts to the castle but were closed off. The two Laharan envoys began to kneel and bow as the doors above them at the top of the stairs began to open slowly. Landon and the crew began to bow as well.
Gwen internally sighed. It seemed like a lot of grandeur for one meeting. She glanced up at the doors, waiting for a glance at their leader.
