Sep

No Turning Back - Surving the Abyss

@ShwiggityShwah That's okay. Thanks for letting me know. Welcome to the NPC club, that way he can still be used by Xandrya and I don't need a new Chief.

No Turning Back - Surving the Abyss

@13org that's not Lockes job that's upto Lopez

No Turning Back - Surving the Abyss

@POOHEAD189 I believe your bossman has all the Marines readying up for an op.

The Spirits Within / Silversky

After that I'll post.

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I'm gonna dip out my interest. With the int chk this busy and with my schedule I'll never be able to keep up with this.

S

No Turning Back - Surving the Abyss

@13org It's okay, people have until monday the 7th till I push the plot on.

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@Lord Wraith hot. Miss you. Love you.

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Before I get too excited, any mentions of the fastest man alive? going on up in the his-house. If so I'll be pming @Dblade26 with an idea.

No Turning Back - Surving the Abyss

C H A P T E R 1

S U R V I V A L

^{Five Years Later}

---

William sat on the sofa in his office, coupled with his quarters it had a desk and shelves in one corner. A door to his personal shower and sleeping units and two sofas facing eachother with a small coffee table in the centre. He lived more lavishly than others did aboard the ship, yes. Did he fully agree with the concept? No. In the Martian Navy the Captains quarters didn't differ than those of anyone else. It was expected that they were able to live in the same conditions as everyone else. Still, the ship was years ago now so there was no point dwelling on it once again. Though he couldn't help it with the current climate and attitudes aboard the ship, five years travelling through the abyss of space. Jumping to one location, scanning every nearby system for a couple of weeks before making another jump and performing the same routine over and over again. He had lost count of how many jumps they had made, no doubt Noah would be able to tell him if he asked. Though he wasn't entirely sure he wanted the exact number in his head. That would likely only fuel the despair and depression that was spreading through his ship like a cancer, he had already heard of Security arresting individuals for illicit substances.

Even the best of humanity could fall, under stressful conditions. He took a sip from his cup of tea, placing down a tablet and sliding it over to Joanne. His forever trustworthy XO. "They're calling for elections now." She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Elections?"

He nodded. "Mhm. We've got HR representatives for the Fleeters, Feds and the Cons and they're pushing for elections. The only ones happy with the current status quo are the Martians-" He realised his mistake before he made it "-and the Fleeters." Despite five years, he sometimes still forgot that Joanne Carter, was a Fleeter. Born and raised. "Though as you're aware, the Fleeters are having their own identity issues." William sighed, Joanne nodded. "So what we've got is Federation and Conglomerate citizens claiming that we're living in a Martian Military Dictatorship, despite the fact that you're a Fleeter, and not every high ranking military position is held by a Martian-"

Joanne raised a finger as she interupted. "A lot of them are though. The third highest ranking officer is Ross, Martian. The Marine Captain, Martian. Yes I know you didn't choose who got a place, and who got which position though we need to look at both sides. With unrest growing we need to do something, my kin don't care whose in charge. Most of us are still adjusting to life stuck aboard one ship and living to the laws of society."

"You weren't lawless Joanne."

"I know that Sir, but even after five years a lot of us are used to settling our own minor disputes. Lawmen only ever shown up if it was a serious offense, security are very proactive. Much to the credit of Chief TreVayne, he keeps on top of things."

"Still, we need to focus on the matter at hand. If this unrest keeps growing, we're going to end up with protests and riots. This isn't something we can really afford."

"You can't step down though in lieu of elections, you are the most qualified person to run this ship-" William raised his hand to stop her.

"Exactly. Run this ship, the military. Not the civillian personnel. What I'm suggesting is we hold elections, for a civillian President or Prime Minister or... whatever they want to be called. Someone who makes decisions for the civillian populance. Like opening Sector 21, lifting the current ban on pregancies, adjusting credit income or food rations, security procedures. Basically anything to do with the hub and the habitation areas becomes their jurisdiction."

She paused as she read over what was onfront of her, William watching her intently. "It could work. It would certainly take some pressure of us having to make all the decisions."

"Exactly. We've got enough going on, no-ones abandoned their posts yet but tensions within the military haven't been great recently either. People are loosing hope, but thankfully I've got something to help that." He pressed a button on his datatab, changing the screen on Joannes to show a sensor output.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"It is indeed, a planet with breathable atmosphere. It isn't ideal, largely water based but sending a team down there is going to do wonders for morale. I doubt we'll end up settling there, but it's progress and a sign of things to come. I've already told Elijah and Matthew to begin picking their crews for the operation, I'm going to brief them tomorrow morning at 0530. I expect them to be underway by 1200hrs."

He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I think that's all for today though Joanne, the rest can wait till tomorrow." He checked the time. "You're watch in the CIC starts in an hour anyway, go grab something to eat or a drink or something. I'll finish up the paperwork."

Joanne stood up, and offered a quick salute. "Sir." He responded in kind to it, as she then turned and walked out of his office.

"Noah."

The holographic body of the ships A.I appeared hovering above the table. "Yes, Admiral?"

"Play music file, twelve."

"At once sir." The music started playing over the speakers int he office and he sat and closed his eyes. Tears forming in them as he thought back to his last days with Amanda, before the Three Day War. It was so long ago now, him and his beloved. Watching their daughter try and chase a holographic butterfly. Then scowling at him when she found out that he was the one casting the projection. Those days were so long ago, Amara was a grown woman now and Amanda was left behind on a world that was now dead. He took a deep breath, centering himself.

She would be proud of him, that's what William told himself at least. She was always about saving lives, for as long as he had known her. Don't start crying now Will, you'll ruin your eyepatch. He chuckled to himself, that was exactly what she would say about now. Everything happens for a reason, it's up to us to be the reason for stuff happening.

He would be the reason, they had five years of bad luck. Though now they had found the first system capable of hosting human life, he'd be the reason for humanity finding a new home. William would make sure of it, for his daughter Amara. As was his promise to his wife on her dying day.

No Turning Back - Surving the Abyss

In the end...

---

The ship shuddered as weaponry from the Devastator vessel chassing them lashed out against their rear shields. Williams knuckles turned white as he gripped onto the console, he was looking at the hologram above him. The Eye of Thea was still too far off, and each shot drained their shields significantly. Even while diverting as much power to the engines as they could take, they weren't going to pull away from the Devastator vessel. It was going to tear through there shields long before they reached the Eye. He turned to Joanne. "Prepare codes for Exodus Protocol. Don't send the codes yet-" The keyword was yet, they locked eyes and both knew what activating the protocol now would mean. The Rejuvination had made it through the eye. The other ten Arks were ruins still on the landing pad. The Vitae was the only other Ark with the possibility, with the chance... no the hope to make it. "-but prepare the nuclear option."

She nodded, despite the other hightech weapons the Vitae weilded it's nuclear warheads were by far still the most powerful. Far more devastting than what had been used on Japan and the European Confederacy during the second and third world wars. Each missile held several warheads, as well as decoy warheads to try and prevent point defense systems from taking out each of the lethal warheads. William never thought he'd be in the position to fire a nuke, but then again he didn't think he'd be flying what was one of the largest ships humanity had ever created housing what would become one of the last flickers of humanity.

He minimised the holographic display, bringing it down from a large hologram that everyone could see down to his and Joannes eyelevel, making it less distracting and ominous for everyone else in the room. In front of him he began looking through reports on all the ships systems, despite being heavily taxed the shields were still putting up a fight. There was something to be said for cooperation in technologies afterall, if the shields were any indication. "Shields at 80%!" He nodded as the helmsman made his callout. At least their screens were displaying the same data. The Nukes would slow the Devastator vessel down, maybe. Though there was still no way they would make it to the Eye in time, they could jump traditionally but they ran the risk of being followed. They couldn't jump to the Eye itself as it was far too close. He could launch everything he had at the Devastator vessel but even then that wouldn't do them much good, it would just get people killed and drones destroyed. Which wasn't something they could really afford at this moment in time.

"CONTACT!" The entire ship shook, William had to grab onto the console before him to prevent himself from being knocked to the floor. Several others around him fell out of their chairs, the entire ship groaned in protest. Whatever ship had jumped in was big, and had jumped in close enough that the spacial displacement had knocked the entire Vitae.

Williams voice cut through the noise, clear and commanding. "What have we got?!" He looked at the hologram as it tried to stabilise. He couldn't help but break a smile as he saw the ship on his scans. The Judicator.

"It's the Judicator sir! Admiral Constantine is here." Admiral Constantine, ever the hero. He watched on the readout as one of the massive plasma cannons fired up, lashing out a beam of energy at the Devastator vessel. Tearing into it, but not knocking it out. They would make it now, but with the Judicator here he knew that Mars wouldn't last much longer. Admiral Constantines vessel was the backbone of the fleet, and with it here to help out the Vitae... the fleet was doomed. He couldn't dwell on that though, he had to make use of the sacrifice. He wouldn't let it be in vain. "They're hailing us Sir."

"Put it through." A hologram of the Admiral appeared on his console, as the display of the battle minimised to Joannes side of the console.

"William. It looked like you could use a little help. Get out of here, that's an order."

He couldn't help but salute the Admiral. "Yes sir, thankyou sir." He started to look back to Joanne, before turning back to the transmission. "And sir?" Constantine nodded. "Goodbye, and goodluck." With that Constantine returned the salute and the transmission ended. He sighed.

"Lets get out of here." He couldn't help but watch the battle as the Vitae continued to get clsoer and closer to the Eye. The Judicator was dishing out the pain but she was loosing ground, anyone could see that. As the finally began the docking procedure William placed his hand on the scanner. "Initiate Exodus Protocol." None of them could see it but electricity began to arc around the Eye of Thea the second the Vitae entered the event horizon of the wormhole. Once the entire ship had croshed the threshole of the Wormhole, the Eye blew up.

As sparks through all around the bridge of the Judicator a tear fell down the cheek of Admiral Roland Constantine. Many considered him to be humanities greatest hero, but what he did paled in comparison to those that had just left Earth behind. "God speed Rejuvination. God speed, Vitae."