Forum Home

Auditions - Cast & Crew

Zahir examined his suitcase thoroughly. It was rather large and, much to his embarrassment, rather empty. The case had been given to him by his mother upon leaving Afghanistan for America and its age showed. It was a deep brown leather and was worn and faded in several places. The buckles barely clasped together and the zipper had to be awkwardly forced to close. He had laid it out on his single bed the night before and had spent hours pouring over it. It contained a couple of casual outfits as well as two uniforms. The uniforms were new; he'd picked them up the day before from his new employer. Ironically, even these simple bartender uniforms appeared infinitely more expensive than his own clothing. Just as Zahir began closing the case - now satisfied that all was in order - a thick plume of smoke clouded his vision. He could smell an odd mixture of alcohol. It could only be one person. Khalid was Zahir's roommate and had been for several months. The pair had been friends for much longer than that, having chatted on the internet for over a year while Zahir had been studying. Everything had worked to plan; Zahir needed a place to stay in Washington Prime and Khalid had an apartment. Khalid's descriptions had made the place sound grand - a large, clean, American apartment. It sounded like a dream come true for Zahir, who would otherwise have had to settle for God knows what on his meager income. Of course, things had turned out differently. In person, Khalid seemed to be constantly surrounded by an alcohol-induced haze. His apartment was tiny, with damaged walls, leaky plumbing and cockroaches. The hallways smelt like boiled cabbage. At least Zahir had his own room - for this, he was most grateful. When Khalid arrived home early in the morning, Zahir could just close the door to his bedroom and dream of better days ahead. The cloud of smoke had grown and now it seemed that Zahir's entire bedroom was shrouded in fog. He turned around and saw Khalid standing by the doorway. His boxer shorts were carelessly hanging from his hips while he scratched his stomach with one hand. He took a long drag on his cigarette with the other. 'You're still fooling around with that suitcase, Zee?' Zahir hated those cigarettes. He didn't know what brand they were, but they were particularly offensive. They had a heavy odor that seemingly lingered for hours. 'Yeah, I just want to make sure that everything is perfect,' replied Zahir, turning back to the case. 'You never know, I might get a permanent role or something.' Khalid scratched his head. 'Doubt it,' he muttered. 'Once that first voyage is over, they'll jack up the ticket prices and only the best will get in. You'll probably be back to working at the Pony.' The Prancing Pony. It was one of the bars Zahir had worked at in recent months and it was by far his most steady work. The nature of the work, however, indicated why so few staff stayed beyond a few shifts. Zahir shuddered at the mention of it. He went through his wallet and produced his ticket. This ticket, he thought, was sacred. It was his key to the future. 'What kind of ticket is that?' asked Khalid, his eyebrow raised. 'It doesn't have anything on it.' 'The numbers are what matters,' replied Zahir, with a sigh. 'They just scan them and all of your details appear. Why do you always have to be so negative?' 'Just keepin' it real, Zee. The American Dream doesn't apply to some of us and the sooner we learn that, the better.' And with that, Khalid wandered off into the bathroom. Zahir heard the protest of a rusty tap and the sudden rush of hot water. Khalid hadn't even bothered to close the door; steam rolled out into the hallway. Zahir took one last look at the apartment. He wasn't unhappy to leave it behind, even for a short while. As much as he hated to admit it, though, he was disappointed that Khalid didn't even say goodbye.

Landmark 01: Everyday Astronaut

"The Von Braun, Earth's very first space hotel, is due to launch tomorrow morning from the Marr Space Center. The ship's guests and crew are now in the city and will be arriving at the center early in the morning. Shortly after the vessel breaks free from Earth's atmosphere, guests will be treated to a number of celebratory launch events including a lavish party at Caesar's Palace, the ship's prestigious on-board casino. Even the elusive (and highly secretive) Captain Sorokov is rumored to be in attendance." Washington Prime News Network (WPNN)

"We've done it, Alex," said Jamie King, photographer extraordinaire excitedly, "We've bagged ourselves two of the most prestigious passes in the known universe. We've got press passes to the maiden voyage of the Von Braun." Jamie was a reasonable handsome young man, his close-cropped, chestnut-brown hair in sharp contrast to his room-mate's wavy blonde locks. He was a large, well-built man, and carried himself confidently.

"This has got to be our big break, Jamie," replied Alex, a broad grin covering the lower half of his face as he packed his bag enthusiastically, "If this doesn't get us a look-in at the WPNN, I don't know what will." Alex's looks were the exact opposite of Jamie's - he was thin, lean but deceptively muscular, with blue eyes which radiated the sort of charm and charisma that every good reporter needs.

"We're gonna be huge!" shouted Jamie, racing into his room to pack his own belongings into some sort of carry-on bag.

The apartment they shared was pleasant enough, if a little on the small side. Alex and Jamie shared everything, the rent payments, the power bills, and by pooling their resources they managed to get an apartment a damn sight nicer than a lot of reporters. The champagne-coloured carpets were thin and a little threadbare through years of good use, and the light blue walls had become a little faded over time. One side of the living area of the apartment was taken up by a set of huge windows, giving the illusion of more space, and the rest of the room was filled with reasonably stylish furniture, all chrome and glass.. Alex had his own room, with a small bed in the corner, but the room was mostly dominated by a huge, dark-wood writing desk which Alex had inherited. It may not have fitted with the aesthetic of the rest of the apartment, but he was damned if he was going to get rid of it just to fit in.

Jamie's room was the smaller of the two, the walls completely covered by work from all ages of his photography career, from pictures he took when he was just a student, to newspaper clippings containing his photographs. He often took up the entire bathroom for hours at a time, turning it into his own personal darkroom, much to Alex's chagrin.

Alex shoved the last few items of clothing into the bag on top of his many different notepads and the small mahogany box which contained his writing equipment, and turned to the kitchenette.

There was a bottle of champagne in the fridge that Alex's parents had given him for his birthday, and which they had been saving for a special occasion, and they didn't come much better than this. He pulled it out by it's neck and ripped the foil off, twisting the wire that held the cork in place. He popped the cork, dropping it onto the worktop beside the bottle.

"Now that's a noise I like," said Jamie, hauling his bag out of the other bedroom. His seemed a lot fuller than Alex's, as Jamie had the misfortune of having to lug around his camera and all the equipment he needed to develop the films himself. Alex handed him a glass, then held his own up, and said:

"To our success!" Jamie seconded the notion, and they clinked their glasses together, draining them quickly. Alex looked at his watch, and, realising the time, said:

"Damn. Our cab's going to be here in a few minutes. We should get downstairs."

"Good plan. You have the passes?" asked Jamie, and Alex pulled the tickets out of his shirt pocket. Jamie grinned and they both rushed out of the apartment, grabbing their bags on the way. Jamie locked up, and shoved the keys into a side pocket of his bag. They wouldn't need them until they got back.

Then the pair headed downstairs towards their cab, and what promised to be the turning point in both their careers.

Gael only wondered briefly if perhaps she had brought too much stuff. Of course, it was only a momentary wondering. After all, most of this was for her performances. The two oddly shaped suitcases laying delicately across her bed were her custom-made brass toned dancing swords. She loved those swords dearly. Another ever odder shaped bag held her violin. Okay, so that wasn’t for performances. She just couldn’t let herself get sloppy during her ‘vacation’.

All of the other bags looked the same. And there were a lot of them. For a minute it looked like it would take hours to find the outfit she wanted for her first performance. After all, the party would start shortly after the ship launched. She needed to be ready before the take off. Otherwise the jostling of the ship could very well cause her to poke out an eye while putting on her eyeliner.

Gael thought ahead. She always thought ahead. She would pre-plan even the smallest of details. Including, but not limited to, the fact that she had color-coded all of her identical luggage with easy to spot tags. With a long glance across the room, she found the suitcase that she was looking for.

All of her suitcases were long instead of deep. It was because she didn’t like folding most of her clothes, so she bought luggage where she could lay everything flat. She unzipped the long suitcase that was laying at the foot of her bed to reveal a layer of shimmering gold coins. Not real gold, of course. That would be far too heavy. The coins were actually light weight imitations strung together by links to create a belt that would hook around her waist when she was finished with everything else.

A lot of people were under the assumption that a belly dancer’s outfit consisted merely of a fancy bra and a skirt or harem pants. Sometimes things like that made Gael want to laugh. All of her outfits had at least four separate parts before counting in the jewelry. This outfit had a light gauzy deep purple skirt that was made out of four separate panels. Each panel was trimmed with shimmering beads and golden bells. She also had a pair of skin tight dancing pants that she wore under the skirt because of it’s transparent nature. The pants themselves were skin toned. However, the pants were embellished with fancy bead work that swirled down the side of her legs with a golden shimmer. The top to the outfit was bra like in appearance, but much fancier. The dark purple was again the main color of the fabric. Gold coins hung in loops from the bottom of the bra while the bra itself was decorated only in beads and embroidery. Skin tight and skin toned arm warmers to match the pants covered the bare skin from her wrist to her elbow. On her upper arms there were gold cuffs that held two panels of lightweight fabric to match her skirt. She attached the gold coin belt over her skirt. On her feet were the barely-there dancing shoes she always wore with a little extra. They called them ‘sole-less sandals’ because it was simply a piece of jewelry to give the illusion of shoes. A simple gold chain of bells hung from her ankle to her big toe. She finished the jewelry with a headdress called a tika. A tika drapes down the middle of a woman’s head and rests in the middle of her forehead just above her nose. This tika actually covered the green gem that already rested in her forehead there.

Gael found herself ready for her first performance before most of the other guests would be arriving. After applying the finishing touches on her stage make-up, Gael began to unpack the props she needed and the rest of her clothes. Since she wasn’t using the swords at the party tonight, she tucked their cases under the bed without opening them. Most of her clothes hung up in the closet, leaving her dresser oddly empty. She used it instead to hold her jewelry, coin belts, and props.

Her performance props were varied far beyond her balancing swords. She had several three yard long lengths of shimmering silk. These lengths of fabric were trimmed in various embellishments. Golden beads, bells, and coins being among them. These lengths of fabric were her veils. A similar prop rested below them. They were large fans with fabric stretched over them. The fabric continued past the fans to create a flowing ‘tail’. These were her veil fans. In the drawer underneath all the veils was a different sort of prop. A tray. A well balanced tray. Rolling awkwardly around in the drawer beside it was a series of candles in varying sizes. It had taken years for her to learn how to balance the candles. It had taken even longer for her to learn how to balance her swords.

She sat back on her bed once she was done. She had a little bit more time to waste. Waiting for the sounds of the ship to start up, Gael let herself relax. Her right hand drifted over to her left ring finger, twisting the gold wedding band that rested there. It was a random habit of hers. She only really did it when she spaced out and began to think. She tried to avoid moments like this in public. It would do nothing for her image. And she tried so hard to maintain that image…

The walkway leading up to the Von Braun was slightly crowded, but manageable, and weaving carefully enough, the latest employee to arrive made her way up the steps without tripping. Two suitcases on either arm and a purse slung over one shoulder, Ilona Montenegro L'Marcelle virtually skipped past the checkpoint towards her cabin. New business ventures always excited her.

"Welcome aboard Ms. Montenegro."

The cabin wasn't spacious but it was functional and not cramped in the least. Ilona hug a few of folds of fabric she'd brought with her to lessen the stark metal panels on the walls and add a bit of warmth. Her things were put away quickly enough, the dresses hung on the hangers she'd been careful enough to bring, and the two suitcases stowed underneath the bed where they'd be completely out of sight. On the desk she set her M.D. player and popped one of the small discs in while she finished cleaning up for the evening ahead. The shower was ridiculously small, but being diminutive in size, Ilona wasn't too worried about that. The water was warm, and the steam was a delicious addition to the rather dry atmosphere.

In front of the mirror, wrapped in a towel, the entertainer sat, applying just enough makeup to her face to suggest artificial without being overdone. Her dress was thrown across the neatly made bed, shoes nearby. Pulling back her dark brown hair in a neat coil, she gazed at her reflection and smiled to herself. The curves of her red dress slunk across her shoulders in a sweeping cowl, and the heels added three inches to her stature, enough to make people pay attention to her without too much effort. Ilona pushed back the loose strands of her hair from her face and opened her door, turning off her player as she went.

Crew members were scattered sparsely throughout the hall, one pointing her in the direction of the Kimera and another staring for perhaps a few moments too long. Ilona smiled at him as she passed, perhaps too flirtatiously herself, and continued on her way, noticing a few passengers every now and then, standing out in their civilian dress almost as much as she did. Eventually she reached Kimera lounge, with only the title spread out across the entrance in stylized red and black letters. What looked like gas lamps burned in sconces on either side of the doorway and cast flickering shadows across the hall. Ilona flicked her eyes to either side, and then pushed the charcoal black doors open.

"Kimera. ...I knew I liked that name."

The interior was cool and dimly lit, red chaise lounges spread across the walls, the wooden bar curving around the wall elegantly. Nobody there, but enough alcohol on the shelves to capsize the ship. Ilona looked over at the stage, the piano in one corner, and the microphone stand nearer to the center. She eyed it all, took a mental picture of the entire establishment, and then backed out again, headed for the casino this time.

Katelyn had already packed her small suitcase for the trip on the legendary Von Braun. She didn’t have much in the way of possessions since she was living in the tiny dorms attached to the school she was attending. What little she had that had belonged to her parents was carefully stored away for the day when she could afford her own place. Thankfully the system for ward’s of the government saw to that. She certainly had no means to pay for storing their belongings and to lose that too would have been unbearable. For two years now she had been on her own, living in the tiny little dorm room, struggling to adapt to not only being an orphan but to shove aside the feelings of grief to focus on obtaining her goal. It hadn’t been easy, but now, things were finally falling in place. Starting with the upcoming trip on the Von Braun, her parents would have been so thrilled if they only knew. She imagined that they were with her, in spirit if not in body. As if reminding her that she hadn’t packed the tiny picture frame with the three of them together, she quickly picked it up off the tiny desk in her room and opened up the suitcase to tuck it inside with her clothing and other items. Including the keepsake locket that she always kept close, it was a pity she didn’t have much in the way of regular clothing. Being required to wear a school uniform had made purchasing regular clothing seem like a frivolous expense when she had nowhere to go. Her current outfit, a white sleeveless mock turtle neck with an upturned bias ruffle was covered by an off the shoulder neckline jacket with bell sleeves and bias ruffles running along the neckline and the edges of the sleeves. The jacket had gold colored buttons running up the front and the rest was in alternating colors of Dark and light Aqua. With lightweight white denim pants, dark Aqua boots and a gold colored Ascot scarf and headband to hold back her blonde hair, Katelyn presented a well dressed and striking figure. School uniform or not, it was comfortable and would do nicely until she could determine just what would be acceptable for the trip. Fortunately she had her own small allowance and it seemed that she also had one to go along with her ticket for the trip. She only hoped it was enough since she imagined things on the ship would be expensive. Basic faire was included, but she had heard all sorts of stories about how fancy some of the entertainment and dinning and other affairs would be on the ship. A soft chime reminded her that it was almost time for her to go out to the front of the school to meet the ride that had been arranged for her. Katelyn picked up the ticket she had been sent and carefully placed it into her pocket before she picked up her suitcase and made for the door.

"Major, it's an honor to meet you." said the young man who greeted Christina with a salute at the gates. Christina sighed slightly, for his salute was very off and if he really wanted to show her respect, he would have not saluted at all, or at least did it right. From her motorcycle she returned it, taking extra care to make sure the tip of her fingers touched the edge of her sunglasses and quickly dropped it. However still stood at attention. With all the patience of a mother, Christina smiled and corrected him, "You drop your salute with me. If you're going to play military dear, make sure you know what you're doing." His face turned particularly red and he immediately began unloading the small trailer behind her bike. Christina stepped off to watch him take her bags. As he did so, another young man, a valet, came rushing up. He stopped short of saluting her. "Ma'am, I've been instructed to take your motorcycle to port storage for the duration. May I have your keys?" She tossed them to him and motioned for him to wait until her trailer was cleared and all of her things were loaded onto a trolley. She signaled for him to get her bike. "If I see one gig on it, I'll see you personally..." she took a moment to read his name tag, "Dan." Christina turned to see her bellboy struggling with one of her luggage bags. It was a large briefcase, much larger than the standard size. "Move." she told him, walking over and one handedly picking the briefcase up and walking. He followed with the trolley, astounded and embarrassed by how easily she took it. The two of them took a car around to the security entrance. The boy said nothing as Christina immediately took out a headset and began making calls. One was to her floor manager, Fuse, making sure he and his team were monitoring the boarding of the vessel. They were checking tickets and passports, and ensuring guests were directed in the right direction towards their rooms. The second call was to Rufus, the head of the surveillance group. Their job this day was to make sure Fuse's crew didn't miss anything. By the time she finished up her phone call, she had arrived at the gate. She and her assistant gathered her belongings and she helped him get her briefcase on the trolley. "Make sure this makes it to my suite on D-3." she ordered. She took her glasses off, revealing a pair of beautiful baby blue eyes. She then pulled out a note and wrapped it in her glasses. Stuffing them into his shirt pocket, she smiled and said, "Make sure these make it to the addressee, and no reading. That's all." After her passport and clearance was checked, Christina hopped on one of the Von Braun's shuttles destined for her offices. The shuttles ran along a monorail network that criss-crossed across the ship. Hers was on a special lane designated only for authorized personnel. She had been in and out of the ship for the past two months and each time she rode the shuttle she couldn't help but look up at the artificial sky. It baffled her really. Why would someone pay all of that money just so they could say they spent a sunny day in the park...in space. She ran her hand through her hair, dreading the amount of drama that would come with this maiden voyage. "Ms. Sijan?" came a female voice from near her. Christina wasn't aware that someone else was in the shuttle with her. It was non other than her boss, Samantha. "You were supposed to be here four hours ago." Samantha Moved to sit down opposite Christina, cradling a laptop in her arms. Christina smirked slightly before speaking, "All of my personnel are in place. If anything I thought I could get a few extra hours shut eye. Have there been any problems?" "No, but there very well could have been, and you not being here would not have helped at all." "My crew is capable of running things without me. If I didn't have full faith in them, I would've been here with the rest of you." "If they're capable of running things without you? Why do we need you again?" Christina, who up until this point had been looking out of the window locked eyes with Samantha. She knew she had crossed a line with Christina, but sternly looked forward. Christina pulled herself together and firmly replied, "It won't happen again." "See that it doesn't." said Samantha. The two of them rode for some time after that, Christina wishing her boss would move. She had a few choice words for young Samantha, but the military taught her one very important lesson. The boss is always right. "How's Patricia?" Christina asked, breaking the silence between them. "Oh, she's as busy as always, she told me to send you her best wishes." Christina exited on D-3, heading towards the Security HQ. It was a mixture of senior offices, a conference room, and lastly a large studio which was nicknamed the War Room. Inside the studio there were monitors everywhere, constantly monitoring all parts of the ship. From the casinos to the park and restaurants, nothing got past the war room. Everything was organized into groups, and then details. Fuse, Christina's right hand man, was over the Floor group, whose major details included casino, park, and hotel. Rufus, her Surveillance group commander, ran similar details from the war room. There was of course, also a Support group, secretaries who handled office work and other matters from inside the security offices, although not organized into rigid details like the rest of the crew that fell under her, they were as vital to the effort as anyone else. Christina, after barking out orders and giving general instructions to her crew, retired to her quarters which were only on the other side of the deck.

Zahir had arrived at the space center by train. A new station had been built near the landing dock, where the Von Braun was perched. Even from a distance, it was enormous; it seemed to dwarf the city that surrounded it. When the train stopped, everyone shuffled toward the giant landing dock, which had an expansive glass terminal attached at one side. The Von Braun's lower superstructure hung over the terminal and cast a wide shadow far into the distance. There seemed to be a deep but almost inaudible humming sound emanating from somewhere beneath the ship, although Zahir could not identify the exact location. After presenting his boarding pass at the staff terminal, Zahir was guided into a wide corridor that sloped upwards and opened out at the other end. When he stepped out of it, he found that he was standing right underneath the ship. Where he now stood, he could clearly see the hull's infinitely complex superstructure. It stretched for several kilometers in both directions and, in truth, Zahir could not even see where it ended. In fact, he did not know how the ship was actually standing level with the landing dock - he couldn't see any legs, nor could he hear engines. It was as though the vessel was floating in the air effortlessly, although he could not be certain. All guests entered through a port at the bottom of the ship, which took them up in a large elevator to the third deck. A small column protruded from the ship's hull and almost touched the ground. Glass elevators ran around it and they quietly floated up and down, in and out of sight. Zahir approached the closest elevator and stepped inside. The doors closed behind him with a quiet whoosh. Much to his surprise, the elevator's interior darkened; he could not see outside the glass any more. As the elevator gently took off, a large face appeared in the glass before him. It was a young woman with long, blond hair. Zahir guessed that she would have been about twenty-five or so. 'Welcome to the Von Braun,' said the woman, who's eyes were squarely fixed on his. Zahir looked around. 'Er, thank you,' he replied awkwardly. He had come across holograms before, but none that involved any significant interaction or conversation. 'I can tell by your boarding pass that you are a new staff member,' said the woman with a wink. 'That means you'll have to board the B-1 Monorail, which will take you to the General Staff Quarters. Your room is number seven zero two.' 'Thank you,' said Zahir again. He scratched his neck and tried not to focus on the hologram's eyes. 'I heard that there is going to be some kind of launch party at the casino tonight...' The holographic woman smirked. 'Oh, yes, that's true. It's an event for First and Second Class passengers. Staff entry is limited - you'll have to be quick if you want to get in.' Zahir nodded. Finally, the face began to fade and the doors opened again. An enormous lobby unfolded beyond him - or at least, it was what he assumed was the lobby. There were large polished-wood desks everywhere, with smartly-dressed staff in pillbox hats standing behind them. Men in long coats and women in elaborate hats strode left and right across the area, chatting amongst themselves and occasionally barking orders at staff. The atmosphere was thick with excitement. The large central lobby was surrounded by a number of other open areas. One looked like a room full of large telephone boxes. Another appeared to be some kind of garden with a pond and a gazebo. There were many wide hallways, which had arches at their mouths. The lobby appeared to literally be the hub of the ship. There were also many signs pointing in all directions. Zahir gathered that there was a single large monorail station beyond the immediate rooms and that from there, monorails to all parts of the ship could be accessed. He grabbed his bags and held them close. Before even considering tonight's festivities, Zahir had to simply find his room. The sheer grandeur of the ship's interior stunned him so much that he had completely forgotten about Khalid and his apparent lack of concern that Zahir was leaving. Now, he thought, he may actually get his own room. As he wandered into the center of the lobby, he noticed that the light had changed. Surely not, he thought. A skylight? He instinctively looked up. There was no skylight, but he could indeed see the sky. Zahir rubbed his eyes - he didn't believe what he was seeing. Clouds drifted overhead and punctuated a vivid blue sky. The occasional flock of birds darted in and out of the clouds, apparently flying over some distant horizon. He felt a very slight breeze against his face. Yet, when he looked carefully, he felt certain that he could see glass and metal beyond the clouds. For a moment he almost thought he'd caught a glimpse of a man in a yellow hardhat, strapped to some kind of mechanism - he looked almost like a window cleaner. But the clouds drifted by again and obscured his view. 'They even simulated the sky,' he said to himself. 'Amazing.'

“Well that was rude,” Jeff commented once Ms. Sijan had exited the transport. “You think so?” Samantha gave her full attention to Jeff, a curious look on her face. “Uh…” “By all means, go ahead and explain.” She smiled encouragingly. “I’m serious.” Jeff was wondering if he should have kept his mouth shut but it was too late now. He barely knew Samantha Wells. Sure he had known about his assignment for several months but until about a week ago, when all the final checks for the launch of the Von Braun were being done, he had never met her. Too late now… “It’s more than disrespect. That can be overlooked so long as one isn’t doing that in a manner that undermines your authority ma’am.” “Oh please,” Samantha interrupted him. “Ma’am will never do, call me Samantha or Ms. Wells.” “Uh… yes ma’am… Ms. Wells.” Jeff brow furrowed as he wondered just how that would be seen, him addressing her that informally. He shook his head a bit and continued. “The real problem is the Chief’s lack of concern over showing up for her duties four hours late. As you said yourself, if the crew is so capable without her, then why do we need someone who flippantly disregards the mistake instead of owning up to it?” Jeff took a deep breath and continued. “I’d recommend checking to see if this is something that has been an issue before, regardless of her possibly seeing you as inexperienced, such an indifferent attitude towards her own position is unacceptable.” Jeff was finished and he waited to see how his new boss would respond, he still didn’t know how she would take an open assessment of how things appeared to him. Not that he’d listen if it concerned her security. His separate instructions in regards to that had been quite clear when he was briefed on the assignment. In matters regarding her personal safety he was to ignore any and all orders if necessary. “I can see how you would think that, even if the assessment is a bit harsh. Being in charge of the security for the Von Braun is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.” She gave him a half smile as the transport came to a halt in the first class section of the ship where the two were staying. Samantha got up and left with Jeff following a touch behind her and to the right. “Ms. Sijan has yet to realize that unless something requires my attention, she will not be answering to me in any real capacity during the trip. This is a pleasure cruise, the first of many such trips. My presence is more of a political statement than anything else.” Jeff just followed along, still marveling at the unbelievable technology that had gone into the construction of the Von Braun. He still found the self-contained houses for first class passengers rather startling. The concept of sharing one with Ms. Wells for the trip, even if they had separate rooms was equally unsettling. He would have much preferred that she stay in the same section as the security did but she had merely laughed at his objection and that had been that. It was going to be an interesting trip, of that he was sure. “I still think it was rude,” He commented again once Samantha was finished, something that she just smiled at.

"Gather around, girls!" Hilda Metzger shouted and clapped her hands twice. She referred to her underlings as girls, even though there were several male stewards present as well. All in all, she was in charge of the twenty-four tour guides, stewardesses and hostesses working in the public area of Von Braun. Their job was to keep the passengers satisfied and guide them wherever they wanted to go - within the allowed parameters, of course. For three months they had been trained in all the accomodies and attractions of the spaceship hotel, and it was at least assumed that every one of them knew the floorplan by heart. But it went without saying that none of them knew it as well as Hilda Metzger, the Senior Hostess.

Hilda had made the hostesses arrive to the ship very early in the morning, so that they would be ready and prepared when the passengers started to flood in. That's why some of them were still yawning, and a few hadn't even done their hair yet.

"Now, I've said this a thousand times before, but I will repeat it: whatever the passengers asks you, whatever they say to you, whatever dirt they throw at you, always keep smiling." The Senior Hostess gave her staff the most pleasant, understanding smile she could conjure on her face. "If I hear even one complaint about bad service, I will make sure that the one responsible will be put on an emergency pod and sent back to Earth immediately. Have I been understood?"

She looked through the line of young women and men in neat uniforms. "Where are those smiles, girls? Good. Now get moving. The first guests will be here any minute now."

Hilda Metzger watched as the hostesses and stewards scurried off. She knew she was being hard on them, but she reminded herself that she wouldn't ask them do anything she wasn't prepared to do herself.

Arthur Kendi approached the Von Braun with a bit of trepidation. He had spent months -- years, working with his father to prevent this launch, and now here he was preparing to board the craft as a passenger. Finally, after so much work, all of the pieces were coming together. The site of the launch was a carnival. Loud, festive music blared throughout speakers, drowning out the instructional announcements for guests. Between the noise, the confetti, and the thousands of cheering onlookers Arthur felt nauseated. Does nobody else understand? he thought to himself, Or would the human race simply prefer to welcome their extinction with smiling faces? Arthur was dressed in a black silk shirt, tailor fitted to reveal his muscular frame. From now on Terra Prime's Arthur Kendi was no more; on board the Von Braun he would assume the identity of "Arthur Clarke." According to the background information he had created for himself, Arthur Clarke was the only son of a former Energy Minister. He had a passion for travel and leisure, but preferred to do so alone. This would allow him entry into the restricted third deck of the vessel, and the privacy his mission required. It was of the utmost importance that he remain near the Captain’s quarters at all times. At the entry gate of the Von Braun was a middle-aged, blonde hostess. She wore a wrinkle-free uniform and an attentive smile across her face. Much to Arthur’s surprise her enormous grin grew even larger as he approached with his luggage in tow. “Welcome to the Von Braun, sir!” she said enthusiastically, “May I see your boarding pass and identification please?” Arthur nodded and reached into his brown leather bag, He clutched tightly onto the boarding pass he had been provided earlier that morning, and handed it over to the woman. “Thank you,” she said as she waved the pass over a nearby sensor bar. No response. “Hmm…” “Is everything alright?” She waved the pass over the device once again, “It’s not registering the magnetic code on your pass. Let me try to enter the information manually.” “Oh, of course,” Arthur replied with a feigned smile. Silently he cursed himself as the woman entered in Arthur’s information into the device. If he were to be discovered outright at boarding, his entire mission would be ruined. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as the woman, “Hilda” verified his information. “It appears that everything checks out, Mr. Clarke. I apologize for the inconvenience, sir,” she said, “Your pass must have been demagnetized somehow.” “No… it’s fine. Now, if it‘s at all possible I‘d like to see my quarters.” “Oh, of course, sir!” Hilda said as she reached for his bag, “You will be placed in suite D3-34, on the third deck. Please allow our staff to carry your luggage to your bedroom for you.” Arthur quickly pulled away. “No! …Thank you, but I would much prefer to hold onto this.” “Then at least allow me to escort you to your quarters, Mr. Cla--” “I’ll find my way around fine. Thank you.” Arthur replied coldly, “Now, my room..?” “Yes, here is your room pass, Mr. Clarke!” she said, unbothered by Arthur‘s curt behavior, “Have a wonderful evening, and please enjoy your stay aboard the Von Braun.” “Oh, yes… thank you…” Arthur rushed past Hilda and entered the Von Braun’s main lobby. Much like the exterior of the Von Braun, the design was clearly a throwback to the Space Age. Color was sparse, save for light shades of blue here and there. A large crowd was gathered within, sipping champagne and getting to know one another as they waited for the vessel to depart. Keeping his eyes low to the ground, Arthur quickly entered the elevator. A As the door shut behind him a holographic woman appeared within. Despite being an animation, she was beautiful. She had dark brown hair, a porcelain complexion and a smile not unlike the hostess he had encountered earlier. “Greetings, Mr. Clarke!” the hologram said. Arthur jumped back, “What the hell!?” In all of his time studying the Von Braun he had never read anything about artificial intelligence on board the vessel, let alone A.I. that was so lifelike. “I am a construct of the Von Braun’s Integrated Central Intelligence. You may call me V.I.C.I.” “How did you recognize me?” “Both your room key and boarding pass contain sensors. This will allow my system to better suit your hospitality needs." "...Of course." "We are headed to Deck 3. If you need further instructions to your room, please let me know.” “V.I.C.I.… are you keeping track of all of the passengers?” “Yes. I keep detailed logs on all comings and goings of both passengers and crew.” “And who has access to all of these logs?” There was a moment of silence before V.I.C.I. replied, “Invalid query. Please try another.” The elevator door opened up to reveal the expansive third deck. Unlike the lobby, this floor appeared to be much more colorful and luxurious. In the long hallway leading up to his quarters he passed up several beautiful pieces of art. Whether they were originals, or yet another lie, was uncertain, but Arthur couldn’t help but admire the attention to detail that had been put into designing the space. Arthur opened the door to his expansive quarters, and the lights instantly turned on within. With a large living space and bedroom it was larger than anything he had come to know growing up. It was yet another irony that he would spend the last weeks of his life in luxury aboard the very craft he had come to despise. As he sat on his bed Arthur dropped his bag on the floor, spilling out several vials and syringes contained within. He would have plenty of time to set his plan into motion, but for now all he wanted to do was rest. It was a difficult road that had led Arthur Kendi to the Von Braun, but his journey was only beginning.

It had been a long trip to get to Washington Prime for the launch of the Von Braun. Standing in front of the mirror in his expansive room in one of the city’s finest hotels, Viktor was still feeling a little tired on account of the change in time zones. The city itself wasn’t all that different from his home in Russia. Since the disaster, something that he himself knew next to nothing about, when rebuilding the cities they had instead followed in the rest of the worlds footsteps. Other than a few monuments all of the former Russian Federation was built like the rest of the world. A symbol of the unity they now shared. Viktor finished getting ready for heading to board the ship, ignoring the obvious distress of his personal assistant Misha who would be along for the trip. First official public appearance or not, he did not need someone to help him dress for the occasion. His black shirt of the softest silk covered by a white waist length jacket with a stand up collar, laced in gold trim, including the square straps for fastening it shut was more than enough for the press. Along with the black pants and dress shoes and black belt with a gold buckle, he was ready. “Don’t you think it would be better to wear something a little more fitting sir?” “Nonsense, father gave me explicit instructions to make sure people understand that we are here as guests. I may represent Ivan Enterprises, but like many of the passengers on the Von Braun I am here for the trip and not for business.” “Come Misha,” Viktor said kindly as he turned to head for the door leaving their suite. “It wouldn’t do for us to be late.” “Of course sir.” Viktor just smiled inwardly at how Misha was fussing over things. He had known him since he was a little boy since Misha had served the Ivanov family for close to thirty years. When his father had told him that he would be taking his place on the Von Braun, Viktor had requested that it be Misha who accompanied him on the trip. He had been pleased when his father agreed to the request. Now, as he got into the car waiting to take them to where the ship waited, it kind of felt a little unreal. Most of Viktor’s life had been spent on the family’s personal estate being tutored in all that he would need to know for when he turned thirty. That was when he would be taking over as the head of Ivan Enterprises. Even though he knew that supplies for the construction of the Von Braun had been donated to the cause, Viktor had not expected that to eventually lead to him being a passenger on the ship. He shoved the thought out of mind as their ride to came to a halt not far from the Von Braun itself. It was a marvel to behold and even more impressive up close as the massive disc-shaped ship was easily close to fifteen kilometers. Combined with how it just seemed to literally hover above the ground with no effort was impressive. Viktor had his own ideas as to how such a feat was even possible, but like all companies who had supplied parts and equipment for the construction of the Von Braun, Ivan Enterprises had not been given any specifics as to the actual construction of the ship. Its actual design was one of the most sought after secrets as parts of that were still kept classified from the public in general. Like other thoughts Viktor brushed that thought aside as well, he was not here to attempt to gather information on the design of the ship. The area surrounding the ship was packed with spectators, the press and other guests who were making their way to the Von Braun. A tiny part of Viktor had hoped to make it to the boarding area without being recognized, but within moments, if not for the security there keeping things orderly, he would have been surrounded by the press. He could have simply nodded and continued on his way to the ship but instead he put on his best smile and spent close to half an hour answering the questions that were presented. They were in his opinion forward to the point of being rude, though he dismissed that concern, since his father had warned him that others would behave that way, especially since so little was known about him. Then when it started to get a bit too personal he smiled charmingly and ended it. “Thank you for taking the time to welcome me so completely.” He addressed all of the reporters who had fallen silent when he started, bowing his head slightly, “As much as I would enjoy taking the time to get to know all of you better, I would hate to miss the flight of the Von Braun.” The crowd laughed a bit nervously at the statement and Viktor seized the opening to turn and continue to where several attendants were checking the boarding passenger’s identification before ushering them into the ship. Of course his credentials along with Misha’s checked out and before long the two were on their way to where they would be staying for the trip, their luggage already onboard as it had been sent over by the hotel early that morning.

Kevin sat in the med-bay half bored out of his skull. Being the Chief Medical Officer he had to be on the Von Braun bright and early to help lead the rest of the medical staff that would be scattered at the various smaller stations all through the Von Braun orient themselves. So far he has had three doctor and a handfull number of nurses report in for their schedules and locations. Kevin and Nurse Victoria that has arrived that was assigned to the main med-bay prepped the equipment and beds for anything that might come their way. The place seemed to be bathed in a light bluish light that gave the med bay an even more sterile appearance. After the area was set up Kevin and Nurse got dressed into their medical attire.

The black pants and shirt provided were a tighter than expected and had a military-esque appearance. The only thing that felt familiar was the white jacket that fell to mid-thigh. It had a red cross with two horizontal golden bars underneath (to show rank) printed on both sleeves and if that didn’t give away that he was a doctor a Caduceus Staff was printed in the middle of both crosses. The last piece was the web belt that held the device no larger than a lunchbox on his right hip.

Now that Kevin felt like the medical equivalent of Batman all there was to do was to wait for the rest of the staff to show up. The doors parted in a barely audible sound as they slid, of coarse you wouldn’t know this by Kevin’s reaction almost breaking his neck turning to see who it is. A man a little over average height wearing the Von Braun doctor’s garb and an overconfident smile waltzed in. The edge of Kevin’s mouth turned up into a goofy looking smirk at the sight of him

“Rand!” Kevin almost shouted spinning in his chair.

“Kev-o!” Rand shouted back as they traded grips.
“I swore you said you were going to be here an hour ago, was I mistaken?” Kevin mocked squeezing hard on his friends hand.

“No you weren’t, but I had to check into my room and I also had to get us a pair of these.” Rand pulled his hand from the grip and withdrew a pair of passes from his left jacket pocket. “Two, count em’, two passes to the launch party.”
“How did you get a hold of those?”

“I charmed them from our superiors.” Kevin let out a snort and snatched one of the passes from his friends and read it over.

“Charmed my ass! My name is printed on here!” They both broke out into a fit of laughter. “You are going to be assigned here in the main med-bay as a surgical consultant.”

“Fun, so loads of work for me huh?” Rand spat in a skeptical tone.

“Lets just get to work and hope the rest actually show up.”

When Zahir had checked in at the lobby (he wondered how many check-ins were necessary for the average bartender), the staff behind the counter had taken his bags. 'They will be forwarded through to your quarters,' said the pleasant, middle-aged lady, who's face was illuminated by the soft glow of a computer screen. He headed back to the elevator, which took him to B-1. This was where the vast majority of staff quarters could be found. Zahir had never actually seen a picture of any staff rooms; he had seen the glossy brochures and the promises of a wonderful "working holiday". His mind was filled with vivid images of a spacious cabin with a clean, new bathroom and a large, comfortable bed. When the elevator stopped on the lower deck, however, he saw something quite different. The elevator opened out into a large, spartan room. There were signs indicating lockers and showers and there was a large hallway leading to the kitchen and food storage bays. Zahir approached a nearby map, which seemed to be the only object on any of the plain walls. It looked like the empty room where he was standing was in the center of a large spoke, from which many long hallways extended outward. In between the spokes were the staff quarters. The spokes reached all the way to the outer perimeter of the ship, which was lined with another wide hall that circled the entire vessel. There were rooms attached to this outer hall and they were quite large - Zahir assumed that these rooms were the quarters for senior staff. He placed a finger on the map and traced the route to his room. It wasn't far. When he arrived and opened the door, he gave an audible gasp. Far from being a luxurious private room, he saw an open space with several bunk beds lining the walls. There were also single beds sitting on their own, framed by drawers and small dressers. There were people in the room already, but none paid any attention to Zahir. He hesitantly wandered in and looked around. Where was his bed? Another young man, who was standing nearby (and attempting to stuff too many clothes into too-small drawers), noticed Zahir's apparently confused expression. 'Oh, hey, have you been assigned a bed?' Zahir shook his head. 'Not that I know of. Who are you?' The man - more like a boy, thought Zahir - reached out and shook his hand. 'Sorry, my name's Brad. I'm a janitor on the ship. It's pretty exciting to be here! What will you be doing?' Zahir suddenly felt bad. Clearly this boy had no problem with the living conditions; he was excited just to be on board. Zahir felt awkward and rude. 'Oh, er, I'm a bartender. Der Raum.' Brad's eyes widened. 'What? Der Raum? Are you serious, man?' He shook Zahir's hand again, this time almost snapping it off at the wrist. 'That's a pretty big deal,' he exclaimed. 'Some of us would kill to be in a job like that. You must have some serious mixing skills.' Zahir shrugged. 'Not really. I just got lucky.' Brad shrugged. 'Oh well. Anyway, tell you what. See that bed over there? It's the one jutting out from that little alcove. Nobody's taken that yet. I reckon you should have it.' Zahir glanced over at the bed. It was sitting behind a recess in the wall. It almost looked as though the recess were designed to house something else and the bed had been forced into place at the last minute. 'So I can just take it?' Brad nodded enthusiastically. 'Of course! I doubt they'll fill up this room. I think they overestimated just how many staff they'd need. So, yeah, go take it!' Zahir smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. 'I'm waiting for my bags to arrive.' 'I'm sure they will be down soon,' said Braid. 'Are you going to the party tonight?' 'I am not sure,' replied Zahir. 'Maybe. I'll be lucky to get in.' Brad shook his head. 'Oh, no, see... if you're a bartender, you'd be a Level C staff member. As long as you're quick, you'll get in before the places fill up.' 'Level C?' Zahir scratched his neck. 'So what are you?' Brad looked at the floor sheepishly. 'Level D. I don't have access to any parties or anything.' He looked up again and grinned. 'But if they need someone to clean up afterwards, I might get to look at that swanky casino! I hope I get cleaning detail there.' Zahir nodded and looked around the room again. Oddly, he missed Khalid. He wasn't sure why - perhaps it was just that he was in a new place on his own. 'Okay, well, I'd better go and get my uniform on just in case. See you later...er, what was your name again?' 'Zahir. You can call me Zee if you want.' Brad grinned. 'Zee. Okay then. Talk to you later.' And with that, he rounded the corner and went back to his bed. Khalid, So, I'm on board the ship, finally! It feels so strange to be here. The room isn't what I thought it would be; I'm sharing with a ton of other people. No need to be jealous, either! I know what you'd tell me if I was at home. Anyway, apart from that, I think I'm going to be happy here. At least I'll be earning far more money here than at home. I'll try to save as much as I can for when I get back. Maybe we can put it towards a bigger place? I will send you another email soon. Just try to keep the apartment clean while I'm gone, won't you? See you later, Z

A light jazz standard could be heard in the background as Christina showered. The long day on the road to the Von Braun had left her face sooty and her clothes smelled slightly of oil and rubber. Stepping out of the shower, she was surprised to see it immediately close and begin to spray itself clean. That's one feature she missed in the plethora of manuals and technical reports she forced herself to read on the ship. She pulled a towel from one of the compartments in the spacious bathroom and dried her hair and skin. No sooner than she looked into the mirror, a red light began flashing on the wall. It was an indicator that someone was at the door. Her mirror faded away to be replaced with a screen showing who it was at the door. She wasn't surprised to see who it was. Wrapping the towel around her exposed bosom, Christina tiptoed toward the door and opened it, assuming a suggestive position as it slid open to reveal her guest. "Wozzy baby, where have you been all my life?" The little robot, Woz, floated into the room where Christina shut the door behind it. "Must you taunt me, Major?" said the droid in its usual monotonous voice. Christina smiled, "But baby, you know I love you." "Save it for someone who gives a darn." replied Woz. As Christina went back into the bathroom, the little droid followed her. "I received your message regarding my assistance. However I don't know what you want me to do." An arm extended from its frame revealing her note and glasses. Christina grabbed both of them and laid them on the counter. "It's easy Wozzy baby, I want you to hack and monitor the systems. Beat the hackers at their own game." "Major, that is counter productive. A detail is already assigned." "Did you check the personnel in that detail?" asked Christina, who was applying makeup by now. Woz began humming as it interfaced with the Von Braun's personnel files. Once it reached the information assurance detail, it found only one name in the file. Woz. "Darn you Major, you snake, I should have known you would only invite me here to work." Christina turned and grabbed Woz out of the air, pulling it close and kissing it on its central disk, leaving a noticeable lipstick stain on it. "Thankyou baby." She immediately dragged it through the air out of her quarters and thrust it back into the hallway. Woz straightened up and floated off, as pissed as a droid could get in this situation. Christina went back to her makeup. She had first received Woz from the military as an electronic warfare unit. It served with her for much of her career and upon her retirement, she requested that it be brought with her, otherwise they would have scrapped it in favor of a newer model. Its AI, though advanced, still had not passed the paradox of true independent thinking, otherwise it would not have listened to Christina's order. Its programming only allowed it to reason for itself, but at the same time it was not allowed to give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to Christina. That's why she talked to it the way she did, because she knew no one would find out. Every once in a while a girl wanted to be a girl, no matter how much her job and life needed her to be otherwise. Christina finished her makeup and put on her clothes in silence. Her day was far from over and indeed she felt many challenges still awaited her.

As Alex and Jamie disembarked from the train and stepped off the platform into the docking bay of the Von Braun, the sight of the ship itself literally took Alex's breath away. He knew it was big, but he had never expected it to be of quite this magnitude - he couldn't even see the entire bulk of the vessel, as the opposite end of it was easily ten or twelve kilometres away.

"Good lord," muttered Jamie, fumbling in his bag to pull his camera out, "I never expected to have this out this early in the trip. I hope I brought enough film."

"A place this big, there's bound to be somewhere you can buy it, Jamie," replied Alex as Jamie began snapping photos off, the flashbulb snapping with each shot, "It's like a city."

The pair continued up to the entry gate, grabbing their press passes out of their respective carry-on bags, and slapping their boarding passes and identification down in front of the young, attractive hostesses.

"Welcome to the Von Braun, sir," Alex's hostess said with a broad, sparkling grin, her blue eyes and blonde hair instantly striking a chord with Alex.

"Lovely to be here," he replied, flashing her his own prize-winning smile, "Listen, do you mind if my colleague here gets a picture of you and a couple of other girls? We're journalists, doing a report on the maiden voyage of the Von Braun, and we need as much material as we can get. You could make it onto the front page of the Washington Prime Herald."

"I'd be delighted, but I'm not sure what my boss would say," said the young girl, checking the ID of the people behind Alex so as to keep the flow of people steady.

"Well...Natalie," Alex said, reading her name off her staff identification badge, "If she's somewhere nearby, I'm sure I can persuade her."

"Absolutely, Mr Azure, sir."

"Please, call me Alex," he said softly, brushing past her as he went to find the woman in charge, and subtly slipping a piece of paper with his room details into the pocket of her jacket. He immediately saw a middle-aged, but still very attractive young woman talking to a muscular, dark-skinned man, and she had the words "Senior Hostess" written all over her.

"Excuse me, miss," Alex called politely as the dark-skinned man moved on, "Could I have a moment of your time?"

"Of course," she replied, her braod smile beaming, tiny wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes as she smiled, "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Alex Azure, Washington Prime Herald," he said, flashing his press pass at her, "I was wondering if I could trouble you to borrow a couple of your girls for a few moments? I need a picture or two of them as a first impression. I understand that this is a very busy time for you, and I will of course return to carry out full interviews with your fine self and your team, but this shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes."

"Certainly, sir," she replied, moving past him and snapping her fingers at a couple of the more attractive girls, Natalie included, "Girls!" she called, and they moved quickly towards her.

"Mr Azure would like a couple of pictures. Best smiles, girls," the Senior Hostess said, and Alex called Jamie over.

"Damn, you work fast, Alex," he said under his breath, raising his camera and snapping off a few shots of the Senior Hostess and her girls, from a few different angles, until he was happy with the composition.

"Thank you so much for your time, Ms...Metzger," said Alex, beginning to move towards the lobby.

"Please, call me Hilda."

"Hilda...beautiful name."

"Thank you sir," she said with a smile and the tiniest of laughs, "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need to find your way around." With this parting comment, she turned around and continued with her previous job.

Jamie and Alex strode out towards the lobby, moving with the flow of the sea of people that surrounded them, in silence for a few minutes, until Jamie burst out laughing.

"What?" asked Alex.

""Hilda...beautiful name,"" he gasped in a high-pitched, mocking parody of Alex's own voice, "You couldn't be more of an idiot if you tried."

"Hey, that's the Alex Azure charm in motion right there," replied Alex with feigned indignance, "I didn't see you hit it off with any gorgeous ship hostesses, anyway."

"I'm biding my time, man," Jamie snorted, "You Brits, always thinking you're so suave and sophisticated."

"You Yanks, always stumbling into situations half-cocked," Alex shot back, sneaking Jamie a sly grin. To an outsider, it may seem as though they were fighting, but this was just the way they were with each other.

Eventually, they reached the lobby, and it's magnificence knocked the air out of both of them in an instant...