[center][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/j2gQZuZ.png[/IMG][/center] --- [center][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1kqdN9O.png[/IMG][/center] [center][i]-Sara-[/i][/center] Hello, and welcome to mission orientation. My name is Sara, and I am to be your synthetic attendant over the duration of the Aphelion mission. Let me first remind everyone of the classified nature of this endeavor, and the harsh consequences at Weyland-Yutani’s disposal should any of you breech this secrecy. With that aside, let us begin. The Aphelion mission was first conceived some months after the Weyland Corporation received a burst transmission from the USCSS [i]Prometheus[/i] in 2096. This initial transmission relayed that the vessel and her crew had successfully arrived at LV-223, a moon orbiting the gas giant, Calpamos, in the Zeta2 Reticuli. Project Prometheus, as most of you know, was an exploratory mission spearheaded by the founder of the Weyland Corporation, Peter Weyland, and tasked with collecting firm data regarding the origins of humanity. LV-223 was thought to contain such data. Following the initial transmission stating the ship’s safe arrival, a second transmission was received several days later. This message was a distress beacon attributed to the [i]Prometheus[/i]’ life boat pod. The beacon sent only a pre-coded distress message, and no pertinent details as to the disposition of the [i]Prometheus[/i], or her crew, were included. As no further messages have ever been received from the [i]Prometheus[/i], or anyone that departed with her, it is presumed that the ship failed in its mission, and all hands were lost. When the Weyland and Yutani corporations merged in 2097, there was a renewed interest by company executives that the fate of the [i]Prometheus[/i] should be ascertained, and that any data she obtained before her loss should be recovered, as it still could prove a valuable asset to both the company, and humanity as a whole. It was at this time that Aphelion was given the full support of the company, and preparations began in earnest. Thusly, ten years later, we find ourselves here. The USCSS [i]Aphelion[/i] is set to depart the Sea of Tranquility tomorrow morning. You are her crew—meticulously selected from hundreds of candidates for your skill and professionalism. Upon you rests the combined responsibility of hundreds of thousands of man hours or hard work, and over a trillion dollar’s worth of investment. Please do keep that in mind as our journey begins—the company certainly will. --- [b][u]Relevant Timeline[/u][/b] ┼ 2073 AD- Based on recent classified findings by Weyland researchers, the company determines the exact coordinates of a new destination for long-time pet project: Project Prometheus. New round of investment is immediately opened and mission planning enters full-swing. ┼ 2089 AD- Dr. Elizabeth Shaw discovers a cave painting depicting primitive men surrounding a large being, who points to a group of stars. This finding, along with several identical findings around the globe, further the findings of Weyland researchers. Dr. Shaw, and her colleague, Dr. Charlie Holloway, are brought onboard with Project Prometheus. ┼ 2091 AD- The USCSS [i]Prometheus[/i] departs on its research mission to LV-223. ┼ 2096 AD- A burst transmission is received from the [i]Prometheus[/i], in which the ship is reported to have successfully reached LV-223 without incident around Christmas of 2093. Several days later, a distress signal is also received, and identified as belonging to the “life-boat” pod of the [i]Prometheus[/i]. The distress signal is monitored, but no response is sent from the Weyland Corp. ┼ 2097 AD- Weyland Corporation merges with the Yutani Corporation, forming the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Shortly after the merger, as no further information has been received regarding the disposition of the [i]Prometheus[/i], company executives decide to invest in a second mission to LV-223. This mission will be tasked with determining the fate of the [i]Prometheus[/i], as well as recovering any valuable data remaining from the Project Prometheus operation. This new, classified mission, is given the name “Aphelion.” ┼ 2107 AD- The newly christened exploratory vessel, the USCSS [i]Aphelion[/i], departs Luna’s Sea of Tranquility for LV-223. --- [b]Aphelion is an RP set in Ridley Scott's Alien/Prometheus universe following the events of the movie Prometheus, and preceding the 1979 Alien film. This story is set up to bridge the plot between the movies. Players will take on the roles of various crew members aboard the USCSS [i]Aphelion[/i] as they attempt to fulfill their mission. This RP is intended to be an action/thriller, and [u][i]not[/i][/u] a horror story. Horror is a very difficult genre to write successfully, and as such, the story here will be driven upon completion of objectives and player interaction. Details regarding crew positions and character sheets can be found in the 'CHARACTER CREATION' section below.[/b]