[hr][center][color=ed1c24][h2]P4A-229[/h2][/color]
[/center]
[right]CDR. ROSS
[i]VITAE[/i] LOG #4
Morning, 2221
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g19zI4iTrIo]♪♪♪[/url][/right][hr]
[sub]In collaboration with [@InfamousGuy101] and [@Sep][/sub]


A brief exchange of words between the Admiral's personal aide and Commander Ross were had before Elijah made his way inside the Commanding Officer's Quarters. He knew Locke's office well; in the five years they had spent on the Ark together, they'd held more than one meeting here. Ross had to confess that he was a little envious of the space provided to William. Martian vessels didn't offer lavish extravagances like 'space' and 'comfortable bedding' or other such superfluous luxuries to it's officers. Quarters were, for the most part, spartan and utilitarian in nature- as all things Martian were. Seeing as how the Ark was built and designed by more than just Martians engineers, however, the Feds and Conglomerate types decided to give the royal treatment to the Ark's commanding officer.

[i]'Living like this is going to make Locke go soft.'[/i] Ross quietly joked to himself. He wouldn't have protested a room like this...much.

With heavy, uneven footfalls, he made his way inside the cabin. His officer's uniform was crisp and well kept as ever. Appearances were important to Ross. It was a fact he had learned far before he was ever inducted into military service. Back when he was just a school boy, Elijah had a teacher that refused to roll up his sleeves, loosen his tie or unbutton the top button on his shirt. The man ran the most disciplined class in the district. The presence he commanded when he entered the room was never forgotten, even when Elijah became a man. He had learned to emulate that teacher, and it had paid dividends in his military career.

"Sir." Elijah saluted, his arm snapping up into place so that his fingers touched his temple. It was quick and customary, but Ross insisted. Military tradition was a means of honoring the past that they had left behind- a way to keep from forgetting where they had come from.

Once he was given the go ahead, Ross found a place to sit. He wasn't exactly in any shape to remain standing for great lengths of time, given his leg, but Elijah wasn't going to break protocol just because his knee was a little sore. "Captain Lopez." The commander offered a nod of recognition to his equal from the Marine division.

"I have the list of names you asked me to compile. It should be connecting to your datapad in a moment." Ross was as quick as ever to dive into business. Locke and Lopez didn't have time for pleasantries, though Elijah had to confess that his time was a great deal less [i]valuable[/i] than theirs. He didn't drill his men as strenuously as Lopez did. Flight simulations and emergency contingency practices could only be run so many times before it just started to feel tedious. And Locke being horrifically busy wasn't exactly a surprise, either, given his position. "None of them should be much of a surprise. They're all experts in their fields with up-to-date EVA training. Provided we're not walking into hell, they should do just fine."

Locke returned the salute before inviting Elijah to sit. As always his uniform was impeccable. What he would do to put Elijah into the body of a healthy officer. Still, he’d make good use of him while he had him.  He deeply respected the mans resolve not to get cybernetic, or biological implants. While Martians tended to avoid them, feeling that the human was already a perfect machine that would only get better with time anyway, he had to respect that here where cultures mixed that Elijah had managed to resist the temptation to get the implants from a Fed, Con or even an Armani Doctor.  The man was committed and dedicated, and the only one he would trust to lead this mission. 

The list transferred over to his pad, and Locke merely accepted it. He didn’t doubt the list was anything but perfect. “I’ll be brief.” The hologram of the planet appeared above the table. “This planet, which we’re calling P4A-229 is more or less ideal, from what our deep space scanners are telling us. From what we can tell is that most of the planet surface is water, even more so than on Earth, however we don’t need much land in order to construct a settlement. Missions standard recon, orbital and in atmosphere sweeps. If the risk is deemed acceptable, you may land and take samples and scans. Decontamination protocols apply, so everyone should be wearing a suit and a rebreather at all times. This is all pretty simple, any questions?”

Lopez paid much attention to the hologram of the planet, closing in to see the hologram closer he then moved his hand through his beard as he questioned himself multiple things. Some of the questions were arbitrary but others were important to know. 

“Any life readings? Most importantly scans for structures around the planet, we shouldn’t run the risk of them being here and surprising us before we even know it.” Lopez expressed towards the Admiral, Locke probably knew full well what the marine meant with “Them.”

Sat upon the table before them was an image of a world. Small, the light from the projector flickering slightly every couple of seconds, it wasn't much to look at at first glance. One wouldn't guess that the colorful sphere suspended before them represented the first taste of hope humanity had seen in five years. The first planet that could support human life. The first place that they could call home. Ross felt a stirring in his heart as he looked on it, captivated by it's simplistic beauty.

The question from Captain Lopez cut through the glimpse of hope like a knife. It was a reality check that they could not ignore, even when things started to seem like they were going their way- the Devastator threat still loomed. Somewhere in the distant, black cosmos, the unknowable enemy lurked. No one knew why they had attacked mankind, and no one knew if they would seek out the survivors that fled upon the Arks. They had to assume, for the sake of their entire species's survival, that those monsters sought to finish the job.

"If the Devastators are present on this world, we've already lost." Ross didn't enjoy being blatant, but he felt it necessary now. "They'd have detected us when we did them. I'm more worried about the planet itself." Elijah held in a cough, his lungs burning as the harsh touch of unfiltered oxygen ran down his throat. "Now I'm no expert on the subject, but a planet with [i]this[/i] much water present's bound to have some bad weather. What do we know about the storms on 229? Will they disrupt our survey if we get hit by 'em?"

William understood the fears that both these men held in their hearts, that the Devastators were somehow out here. The fear couldn’t stop them though, they had jumped far from their origin point, outside of their own galaxy. Most theories had the Devastators origin being within the Milky Way. That wasn’t to mean that they could run on the thought that they were the only ones out here. “Scans are detecting one possible structure here-” a red blip appeared on the hologram “-that may equally be a large mineral deposit just near the surface, we’re not entirely sure as our sensors are running at their maximum range. You’ll just need to take a more accurate scan when you arrive in orbit of the planet.”

He turned his attention to Ross. “Same goes for your question, we won’t know for sure what’s going on until you move in closer. Storms are expected to be a major issue, obviously. As unlike Earth hurricanes are going to build force for longer before breaking on land. You’re just going to need to keep an eye on the sky to avoid getting caught in a storm, as if it’s as powerful as they theorise they might be then it could cause some serious issues.” William took another sip of coffee before buttoning up more of his shirt, going from laid back officer to fully decorated. “I trust you both with this mission, Elijah you’re obviously on point-” he turned to face Lopez “-with you as his second Matthew. We’ll be in communication range if you need to contact the ship, however I’m not anticipating any issues that you can’t solve.”

William checked his watch. “Launch is scheduled for 1400 hours. You’ve already been selecting your personnel, they all need to be on board and squared away ready to go. Dismissed.”

Having taken in all that info, Lopez was quick to salute the admiral as well as his fellow commander and began to walk out of the office, heading back to the training complex to gather the team for the mission. He would led the troops with efficiency and like Locke said, there was nothing he couldn’t handle.  

There [i]was[/i] a structure present? That surprised Ross. Though it was more than likely a simple mineral deposit, as the admiral suggested, Elijah couldn’t ignore the swirling sensation of nausea in his gut. That infinitesimally small chance that there was something [i]else[/i]present on the surface…

The commander shook his head, knocking those doubts from his mind. A Devastator outpost all the way out here was more than unlikely; it was all but impossible. Ross would prioritize discovering the true nature of the detected anomaly, but he couldn’t go into this mission expecting contact with the enemy. He had to keep himself focused on the much more tangible threats that came with atmospheric entry. The [i]Nyx[/i] was a tough old bird, yet flying it straight into a hurricane or a thunderstorm was less than advisable- especially when her sensor suite was deployed. Electrical systems would be at their most vulnerable then, and a stray bolt of lightning had the potential to damage the equipment.

Worries he would need to deal with when the mission was actually underway. For now, Elijah stood, offering another snapped salute to Locke. His mask slipped back into place, filling his lungs with a burst of much needed oxygen as he made his way out of the room just behind Lopez.