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Abel found the experience... surreal, to say the least. Astria carried a lot of similarities to the Earth which they had left behind them, but there was such an evident disparity between the two planets, from the physical laws to the divergence in evolution. It was as though Earth had taken a different path and had later frozen itself in time. The air was so clean that it was almost euphoric to inhale, and Abel easily preferred Astria's climate to Earth's lessening, though still desperate, situation. The physicist took a deep breath inside the vehicle as his dark brown eyes traced the various individuals on board, a few of his own colleagues among them. Had younger Abel Schwellen known that he would take part in this expedition, he would be quite dumbfounded. To be one of the first pioneers of such an odd place was a tremendous honor.
Before embarking from Ithaca, Abel and the team had two weeks of 'acclimation,' a program of exposure to Astria's different, strange environment. The previous expedition's crewmembers explained away their group's findings as well as security and safety protocols to pass the baton. They shared all of the fascinating minutiae of this new land with Abel's team: the language, the culture and history, the ecosystem, the climate, and the physical laws. All of this was well and interesting, but as things would have it, Abel really just wanted to crawl out of this armored vehicle and start on the real expedition. He was prepared enough for what would come next.
It was not more comforting, having the E-ASF's troopers for escorts on the expedition. If that told Abel anything, it was that Apex needed a way to protect its profits. He did not feel any safer in the hands of a corporation, but his team received proper training by the ASF earlier which gave him no right to complain. So long as he could trust his team and their skills, Abel could guarantee their safety. He scrolled through pictures of his team on his computer tablet, and he stopped on a group photo of them from the Non-local Phenomena Detector back home. If the E-ASF failed or ditched, the team could fend for itself. All of them were multitalented individuals, all with a wide skillset, all with a vast collection of knowledge. Yeah, Abel could put his faith in them.
Becker's blunt, thundering voice killed the silence as the town of Vericil came closer in the vehicle's sights, and Abel put down his computer immediately to listen. The team was to stay put and wait until security sweeps were done. After that, safety and security would be the team's responsibility once they disembarked and entered the town. Their primary objective was to practice the language and gain a feel for the locals, and their secondary objective was to stay in one piece the whole time. Then, they would be back by a little past noon in the local time.
Once the rear door opened, the soldiers were already gone. They were quite impressive looking, armed to the neck with the finest technology, as they left to take a little look-see around the convoy. The expedition crew inside the vehicle remained silent, merely twiddling their thumbs. Some appeared nervous, others sat at the edge of their seat and looked to the door in anticipation. The moment of truth, Abel thought to himself, itching in his excitement. Everyone stood when the soldier appeared at the exit, signaling the OK, and their feet disappeared from the cold floor of the transport vehicle to the soft, rich earth of Astria. Although this was not their first time, setting foot on the planet, the experience was virgin and new, their first, real step into the next stage of the expedition. There were many surprises ahead.
Vericil came closer with each step, a city with no real significance to national matters, but it meant everything to this expedition, to the group as it entered the city without a hitch. Like the people of Safe Haven, the people of Vericil were all so appreciably human – the things they saw as theirs, their desire for the ornate. Fences, gardens, engravings, signs, even domiciles and markets. At first glance, Vericil was a town of squalor and unimportance, but to a humble eye and, more importantly, to the expedition, this was the best which they could conscionably ask for. With wide, curious eyes and open, awe-filled mouth, Abel saw that he had much to learn from this place.
Before embarking from Ithaca, Abel and the team had two weeks of 'acclimation,' a program of exposure to Astria's different, strange environment. The previous expedition's crewmembers explained away their group's findings as well as security and safety protocols to pass the baton. They shared all of the fascinating minutiae of this new land with Abel's team: the language, the culture and history, the ecosystem, the climate, and the physical laws. All of this was well and interesting, but as things would have it, Abel really just wanted to crawl out of this armored vehicle and start on the real expedition. He was prepared enough for what would come next.
It was not more comforting, having the E-ASF's troopers for escorts on the expedition. If that told Abel anything, it was that Apex needed a way to protect its profits. He did not feel any safer in the hands of a corporation, but his team received proper training by the ASF earlier which gave him no right to complain. So long as he could trust his team and their skills, Abel could guarantee their safety. He scrolled through pictures of his team on his computer tablet, and he stopped on a group photo of them from the Non-local Phenomena Detector back home. If the E-ASF failed or ditched, the team could fend for itself. All of them were multitalented individuals, all with a wide skillset, all with a vast collection of knowledge. Yeah, Abel could put his faith in them.
Becker's blunt, thundering voice killed the silence as the town of Vericil came closer in the vehicle's sights, and Abel put down his computer immediately to listen. The team was to stay put and wait until security sweeps were done. After that, safety and security would be the team's responsibility once they disembarked and entered the town. Their primary objective was to practice the language and gain a feel for the locals, and their secondary objective was to stay in one piece the whole time. Then, they would be back by a little past noon in the local time.
Once the rear door opened, the soldiers were already gone. They were quite impressive looking, armed to the neck with the finest technology, as they left to take a little look-see around the convoy. The expedition crew inside the vehicle remained silent, merely twiddling their thumbs. Some appeared nervous, others sat at the edge of their seat and looked to the door in anticipation. The moment of truth, Abel thought to himself, itching in his excitement. Everyone stood when the soldier appeared at the exit, signaling the OK, and their feet disappeared from the cold floor of the transport vehicle to the soft, rich earth of Astria. Although this was not their first time, setting foot on the planet, the experience was virgin and new, their first, real step into the next stage of the expedition. There were many surprises ahead.
Vericil came closer with each step, a city with no real significance to national matters, but it meant everything to this expedition, to the group as it entered the city without a hitch. Like the people of Safe Haven, the people of Vericil were all so appreciably human – the things they saw as theirs, their desire for the ornate. Fences, gardens, engravings, signs, even domiciles and markets. At first glance, Vericil was a town of squalor and unimportance, but to a humble eye and, more importantly, to the expedition, this was the best which they could conscionably ask for. With wide, curious eyes and open, awe-filled mouth, Abel saw that he had much to learn from this place.
