RPG The Von Braun Odyssey

[Sabrina]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Viktor wasn?t sure just how many of the others would actually show up at his place. Some seemed more inclined to simply head back to their own quarters while some of them were following along as they talked among themselves. He was almost to one of the monorail cars that ran though the Von Braun when Natalia spoke up. ?[B]I should check in with the Casino before I do anything else.[/B]? She smiled wanly. ?[B]I?d better make sure the others didn?t report me missing.[/B]? ?[B]Alright,[/B]? Viktor nodded. ?[B]You?re still welcome to stop by and join the party after you?ve finished with that.[/B]? ?[B]I?ll keep that in mind.[/B]? She nodded to the group as a whole and then turned and left to catch a different shuttle car. Viktor got on the next one heading for the deck where he was located. The thought crossed his mind that he?d better check with Misha. There was no way Misha would have missed that he hadn?t returned on the shuttle. As if thinking about him has summoned him, the party ran into Misha heading towards the lift. ?[B]Sir! Where have you been? I?ve been looking all over for you.[/B]? Viktor pulled him aside, ?[B]I?ll explain later. More importantly, did you report that I was missing?[/B]? ?[B]Of course I did. I was waiting for the shuttle when it returned. I went directly to security but they brushed me off, they said that according to the computer system everyone had returned.[/B]? Misha snorted. ?[B]As if I wouldn?t recognize you or the young miss leaving the shuttle. I may be old, but I?m not [I]that[/I] old.[/B]? Viktor grimaced and then pulled Misha away from the group even more, ?[B]You have to tell them you were mistaken.[/B]? He said urgently. ?[B]Are you kidding? I can?t let that kind of irresponsible behavior go! What if?[/B]? Viktor shook his head. ?[B]I have a good reason for asking you to do this Misha.[/B]? ?[B]It?s not that simple sir; I already have an appointment with that aide who?s assisting Ms Wells.[/B]? He scoffed again. ?[B]I had to argue with people for hours before someone finally agreed to talk to me about it.[/B]? "[B]Hmmm...[/B]" Viktor bit his lower lip, "[B]Alright, here's what we're going to do. I've invited these people to my place for drinks and refreshments. I want you to take everyone there while I go and meet with this aide.[/B]" Misha nodded reluctantly, "[B]Alright, the meeting is in one of the conference rooms in the security center. I was to ask at the main desk for directions once I got there.[/B]" "[B]Right.[/B]" Viktor turned and walked back over to where Katelyn was waiting patently for him to finish. "[B]It seems that Misha reported me missing.[/B]" "[B]What are you going to do?[/B]" "[B]I'm going to go and tell them that he was mistaken, however to do that I might need to lie about what I was really doing.[/B]" Viktor paused briefly. "[B]Would it be acceptable for me to tell them that you and I were touring the ship?[/B]" Katelyn flushed slightly, "[B]Of course. I'll remember that in case anyone asks.[/B]" Viktor smiled. "[B]I'll let you know, if I can avoid it, I will not explain what I was up to. In the meantime Misha will guide you and the others to my place.[/B]" "[B]Okay.[/B]" Katelyn replied. "[B]I'm sorry everyone,[/B]" Viktor addressed the others who were waiting patiently, "[B]Misha has just reminded me that I need to take care of something. You're still welcome to go to my place for drinks and refreshments, as soon as I finish taking care of matters I'll be back to join you all.[/B]" Viktor waited for the others to indicate they had heard him and then turned to head back to the lift. This was going to be interesting. It wouldn't be easy to convince someone that Misha was mistaken. Considering what they had found at the abandoned space station, they couldn't afford for anyone to realize that they had returned or that they had in fact been missing. For some reason, he was getting a very bad feeling about it.

[Horendithas]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG] http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER][SIZE="1"] Jeff was wondering how the hell he had ended up with the duty of listening to some complaints from the more wealthy passengers. He had a sneaking suspicion that the Major had done it as a subtle jab at Ms Wells for her role at the space station. By passing the buck for less serious matters to her it was essentially saying ? this is what you?re good for and nothing else. Though that meant Ms Wells had delegated it to him since she was in meetings with the Captain. This was most definitely [I]not[/I] in his job description. Just about every one of the people he had talked to in the past hour had been nothing more than silly passengers who were fretting over things that weren?t important. It was the last one that actually concerned him. It was someone named Misha who was positive that one of the passengers who had visited the space station, a Viktor Ivanov had not returned on the shuttle. He had been there so if someone really had been missed, that was a serious problem that needed to be dealt with. Especially if it really was the son of Mikhail Ivanov: founder of Ivan Enterprises. Losing someone like that on a voyage would have serious repercussions. A knock on the small conference room caught his attention and he looked up from the small terminal that he was logged into. It was one of the secretaries. ?[B]Your last appointment is here sir.[/B]? ?[B]Send them in.[/B]? She nodded and opened the door to admit the very person who was supposed to be missing. [I]What the hell?[/I] He stood up. ?[B]You must be Ms. Wells assistant.[/B]? The man was across the room in a few strides his hand out to shake his. ?[B]I?m her personal security actually.[/B]? Jeff corrected him. ?[B]Of course, my mistake.[/B]? He let go of his hand. ?[B]I wanted to apologize for wasting your time. Misha was not aware that I had decided to tour sections of the Von Braun upon my return.[/B]? ?[B]Not aware?[/B]? Jeff raised an eyebrow, that didn?t make sense to him. He?d done enough security for the more wealthy to know that someone like Misha would have come along [I]specifically[/I] to keep track of someone like Viktor Ivanov. ?[B]It?s my fault. I?m supposed to let him know everything I?m up to but I had my mind on other matters.[/B]? ?[B]I see.[/B]? There was something off about what he was telling him, but Jeff wasn?t sure what it was and he didn't really have the time to find out. ?[B]I suggest you work that out in the future. I?m sure Misha would appreciate it.[/B]? He gave him a long searching look. ?[B]Of course.[/B]? Viktor smiled charmingly. ?[B]Thank you for your time.[/B]? Jeff watched as he turned and left the room after nodding politely in his direction. His instincts were telling him that something was off, but for now he'd have to leave it be. He was supposed to join Ms. Wells on the bridge asap. [hr=indigo]100[/hr] [CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar1_crew.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] ?[B]How did the meetings go Jeff?[/B]? Samantha smiled as he approached her and the Captain on the bridge. ?[B]Fine ma?am. Nothing serious.[/B]? ?[B]Good.[/B]? She smiled again. ?[B]I?m almost done with the meeting here. How about we get some dinner when I?m finished?[/B]? ?[B]Yes ma?am.[/B]? Samantha laughed, ?[B]No need to be so formal Jeff.[/B]? She motioned to a seat next to her but he shook his head and opted to remain standing. She shook her head and turned back to the Captain. ?[B]Are you sure about the error Lazar? Didn?t you say earlier that you can simply steer the ship manually?[/B]? ?[B]Yes, but for some reason it?s still putting us much farther off course than expected.[/B]? He seemed annoyed to Jeff. ?[B]Every time we compensate for it, the navigational error grows larger.[/B]? ?[B]Is it possible to simply turn the system off and rely completely on manual input?[/B]? Samantha suggested. ?[B]Or at the very least is it possible to shut it down and reboot it?[/B]? ?[B]I?m reluctant to do that unless absolutely necessary.[/B]? The captain looked at Jeff briefly and then back to Samantha. ?[B]Why don?t you take a break? We can finish this discussion after dinner.[/B]? Samantha stood up. ?[B]Alright, you do the same Lazar.[/B]? ?[B]Bah, get going girl,[/B]? He made shooing motions. ?[B]Stop mothering me.[/B]? His attempts to be mock serious failed and a grin spread across his face. Samantha just laughed.[/SIZE]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

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Nothing seemed out of place on the Von Braun. It was both reassuring and a bit unsettling to Natalia. After what they had seen on the space station, it was important that no one realize they had been missing at all. But for them to have gone missing and for no one to even notice was alarming. She really wished she could complain to the Captain over that. It was unbelievably irresponsible in her mind.

It didn?t take her long to get to the Casino, even with the usual press of people going about their business on the Von Braun. It seemed almost surreal to her, to see all the people behaving as if they didn?t have a care in the world. Even the staff at the Casino just nodded in her direction. No one said anything to her at all other than the normal polite gestures and greetings she always got.

She didn?t bother to actually stop and talk to anyone, but instead headed straight for the main offices of the Casino. A handful of the security was there like always, keeping an eye on the guests via the security displays.

?[B]Hey boss,[/B]? one of the turned to greet her upon realizing she had entered the office. ?[B]How?d the trip to the space station go?[/B]?

?[B]It was fine[/B].? She said simply.

?[B]That?s too bad that they decided to cancel letting anyone else go over.[/B]?

?[B]Cancel?[/B]? Natalia?s eyebrow shot up.

?[B]There was an announcement that the space station was on staff rotation so giving tours of the place was canceled,[/B]? another member of the security crew turned his chair to face her. ?[B]They said we're going to stop by on the way back.[/B]?

?[B]I see.[/B]?

?[B]You?re so lucky,[/B]? the first one said. ?[B]Knowing my luck I won?t even get a chance to see it when we return.[/B]?

?[B]I?m not sure if I?d go so far as to say lucky.[/B]? Natalia finally replied.

?[B]I would.[/B]? He sighed, ?[B]Anyway, did you need something?[/B]?

?[B]Yes, I?ll be gone for the rest of the day so be sure to make a note in the schedule.[/B]?

He turned back to the computer terminal and pulled up the schedule. ?[B]No problem ma?am. You?re already listed as being gone for today.[/B]?

?[B]Right,[/B]? that puzzled her for a moment until she realized that it would have been done by one of the assistant managers. She hadn?t given a specific time for how long she would be gone since she hadn?t known. They must have played it safe by listing her out for the day.

She smiled at the two who were waiting for her to continue. ?[B]I?ll be off then. Keep up the good work.[/B]?

?[B]Yes ma?am.[/B]?

Natalia left the office, fully intent on simply heading to her quarters. She didn?t feel like socializing with anyone. But when she got to the doors leading into the Casino, she couldn?t help but feel isolated and even more alone than she ever had in her life.

?[B]Forget this.[/B]? She growled to herself. ?[B]I think I?ll take Mr. Ivanov up on his offer.[/B]? Decided she headed for the closest lift that would take her to the deck where his quarters would be located.

[Aaryanna]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Katelyn felt out of place with the others now that Viktor and Natalia were gone. Misha seemed friendly enough, but the graceful Ilona and the news reporters Adam and James just made her nervous. She was positive that James had given her an odd look back on the space station but he hadn’t said anything since then. She followed along as Misha took the group back to the homes that the first class passengers stayed in. The huge synthetic mountain that looked like it had facilities built into it was a bit startling to see. Along with the large homes that apparently each passenger had one of, the whole thing looked like some posh resort instead of a deck on a spaceship. Seeing pictures of it in a brochure just didn’t do it justice at all. Nor had viewing it from an observation window when she had taking the tour when she first got on board. If anything, it just made her feel even more self conscious in her school uniform. The inside of the home Viktor was staying in didn’t help either. Everything was made of the finest materials. Plush carpets and lavish furniture with what had to be expensive leather and silks for the chairs and sofas in the room. The others seemed to be unfazed and took Misha’s instructions to heart, helping themselves to what looked like a large bar up against the far wall in the main room before finding comfortable chairs to sit in and engage in small talk. [I]I wonder if they have soda. [/I]She wasn’t old enough to have alcoholic drinks and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to. Katelyn hovered between considering leaving when Misha came over to where she was still standing next to the door to the home. “[B]There’s no need to be so nervous Miss Brennan,[/B]” Misha told her with a kind smile. “[B]It’s that obvious huh?[/B]” “[B]It is.[/B]” Misha smiled again. “[B]It’s nothing to worry about. If you like once Viktor gets back I can take you on a tour of this deck if you’d like.[/B]” Katelyn’s eyes widened a bit. “[B]Is that allowed?[/B]” “[B]Of course it is.[/B]” She fussed with her tunic for a moment, smoothing out a crease. “[B]Well it’s just that when I took the tour that included the bridge, other than to look in we weren’t allowed to actually explore the first class deck.[/B]” “[B]You would be coming along as my guest,[/B]” A voice from behind her said. She turned to see Viktor in the doorway. “[B]Ah, I see.[/B]” She couldn’t think of what to say to that. Viktor just smiled and leaned over a bit when he got close enough, his voice only loud enough for her and Misha. “[B]So you know, I told them that I was touring the Von Braun upon my return. I let them think I was alone.[/B]” Katelyn nodded. “[B]Now what would you like to have to drink?[/B]” “[B]Soda please,[/B]” Katelyn replied. “[B]If you have it that is.[/B]” “[B]Of course we do miss.[/B]” Misha said. “[B]If you’ll come with me I’ll show you what the choices are.[/B]”

[Horendithas]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/IMG] [/CENTER] [SIZE="1"] “[B]Can I ask you something?[/B]” Jeff said once the door to the lift closed behind them. Samantha told the holographic program where to take them and then turned to answer Jeff. “[B]Of course you can.[/B]” She poked him in the arm. “[B]I keep telling you to stop being so formal.[/B]” Jeff ignored the laughter in her voice. “[B]Is the navigational error really that bad? The Captain looked pretty upset to me.[/B]” “[B]I think its more annoyance than anything,[/B]” Samantha answered seriously. “[B]Lazar has always run a very tight ship, it’s what makes him so good at his job, he doesn’t allow things to slide.[/B]” She grinned again. “[B]You can bet that the moment we get back, he’ll have the ship turned inside out to find the problem.[/B]” “[B]Won’t the error make it difficult to get back home though?[/B]” “[B]Not at all, in an emergency, the Von Braun can be operated manually. I understand that it’s very tedious, but we have a very capable crew.[/B]” The lift came to a stop and Samantha exited without hesitation, heading straight for one of the more expensive restaurants on the ship. “[B]If for some reason that didn’t work, well we have more than enough shuttles to make sure everyone is sent back home or to a location where someone can pick them up.[/B]” She paused at the door to the lavish restaurant, speaking briefly with the door attendant before the two of them were ushered back to a private room. It was unbelievably lush with rich furniture and one side opening up to an overview of the interior of the ship. Once they had taken a seat and given their orders to the servers, she continued once they had left. “[B]Now as I was saying, we have more than enough shuttles to accommodate the passengers and crew, however, I seriously doubt it would ever come to that.[/B]” “[B]I see,[/B]” Jeff toyed with the expensive silverware in front of him. Job or not, he wasn’t use to actually using fancy stuff. He put the fork back down on the table. “[B]This is unrelated but do you know anything about the sealed deck?[/B]” Samantha gave him an odd look and then laughed. “[B]No, I do not, well other than it’s suppose to have spare parts for the ship and can store luggage if needed. Why?[/B]” “[B]You don’t have access to it then?[/B]” Jeff pressed. She shook her head, “[B]No. Why would you think I might?[/B]” She looked puzzled. “[B]You had full access to the space station.[/B]” The servers entered the room and placed the mix of seasoned seafood and drinks before them before bowing and leaving the room once again. Jeff ignored his food. “[B]Let’s see, how to explain the space station,[/B]” She flattened her lips into a straight line. “[B]I didn’t really have access. I was given new clearance codes to hand over to the administration there. When it became obvious that no one was there, I used my override to look at the file given to me.[/B]” “[B]When did you do that?[/B]” He hadn’t seen her access anything. Samantha reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny hand computer, the type that held appointments and other personal data. “[B]I had this with me on the station. You probably were looking elsewhere when I opened the file.[/B]” That was possible though he was positive that he would have noticed it. “[B]I see.[/B]” She took a few bites of her food before responding. “[B]I’ll actually have to answer for doing that. Judgment call or not, I overstepped my authority by using that code.[/B]” She smiled. “[B]I’m not surprised that you’re curious about what’s in that deck though, I know I am. I imagine that the only person who has access to it is Lazar.[/B]” Her grin widened. “[B]I'd ask him but knowing Lazar, he’d just bonk me on the head and tell me to behave.[/B]” “[B]The two of you go back a ways then.[/B]” Jeff asked before finally trying some of the food, he knew was clumsy at using the silverware, but Samantha just ignored it. He was sure it was far too expensive, but he wouldn’t argue about the actual taste, it was [I]very[/I] good. Samantha nodded, “[B]I’ve known him since I was a little girl. He’s been a friend of the family for quite some time.[/B]” She looked at his barely eaten food. “[B]How about you finish that before it goes cold?[/B]”[/SIZE]

[James]

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Arthur's first class room was stunning. Zahir had been calling it a [i]room[/i], but it was really more of a small [i]house[/i]. It sat at the foot of an enormous synthetic mountain, where it was enveloped by a small gully. A creek flowed past on one side and the flawless green grass around it was bordered by trees. From here, it was impossible to detect any other sound, despite the fact that the other first class cabins and houses were not far away.


Zahir sat on the edge of the bed in what was a fairly spartan room. There were all of the usual luxuries provided by the Von Braun hospitality staff, but it didn't seem that Arthur had brought very much of his own belongings. Zahir noticed a small travel bag resting against a desk at one end of the room. There were papers sitting in neat piles on the desk, as well as a couple of books.


Upon their arrival at the house, Arthur had gone straight for the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and steam billowed out into the bedroom. Zahir was waiting for his turn; he did not want to go [i]anywhere[/i] before showering and changing his clothes. Now that the ordeal on the outpost was over, he felt like he hadn't showered in days.


Zahir lay back on the bed, with his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and cast his mind back over the last twenty four hours. After reading conspiracy theory magazines and tabloids for years, it seemed incredible that the stories were actually true - or, at least, that the reality was not terribly different than what had been reported. In fact, the reality was a lot stranger. Alien beings on the Moon? Test tubes and alien experiments in space? How did it all link together? There was a major piece of the puzzle missing and Zahir suspected that it related to the Shirota Strain. Arthur had mentioned it, but he also pointed out that the original documentation about the strain had been lost. Perhaps he was looking for it. But why aboard the Von Braun?


His thoughts began to drift and muddy. He thought of all the people he had met during the journey. Their blurry faces ebbed and flowed in his mind's eye. For a brief moment his mind cast back to the little apartment in Washington Prime. It was an ever-so-brief flash of images; his bed, a pile of magazines and cigarette smoke. This time, though, he did not think of Khalid. He imagined that billowing steam pouring out into the room, shrouding everything in gray. Arthur's face came through the steam toward him and their lips met.


'Hey.'


'Hey, Zee, wake up! Did you feel that?'


The ceiling slowly came into view. Zahir blinked slowly. He felt hazy and light-headed. Arthur's face came into view. He was dressed in a new outfit. He had refreshed his cologne.


Zahir sat up and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. 'What's going on?' he said as he rubbed his eyes.


'I'm not sure,' muttered Arthur, 'maybe nothing. But I'm sure I felt movement...like a mild earthquake. You didn't feel it?'


Zahir shook his head. 'I fell asleep. I'm sorry.'


Arthur smiled. 'Don't apologize, Zee. You should have your shower now though, because I think something is happening. We shouldn't feel ship movements from here. I am worried that something is wrong.'


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Captain Lazar Sorokov sat behind an ornate oak desk at the end of a sizable office. The end of the office was comprised entirely of a clear panel, which revealed an endless field of stars beyond. The Von Braun's Chief Engineer, Jedidiah Pennback, sat in a chair on the opposite side of the desk. He wrung his hands nervously.


Sorokov was leafing through a large binder with one hand. 'Tell me, Chief, what do we know of the system error now? Your team has been working on this problem for hours.'


Pennback's eyes wandered around the room. Sitting there, with all that space around him and that enormous star field in the background - it was intimidating, to say the least.


'Truthfully, we are still at a loss,' replied Chief Pennback honestly. 'We have performed hundreds of diagnostic tests already and we have rebooted the navigation computer several times, but with no luck.'


'So, tell me again, what [i]exactly[/i] is the problem?' Sorokov glanced up over the spectacles that sat on the end of his nose.


Pennback wrung his hands even more tightly. 'When we first announced this error, Captain, the variance between our course and the ship's real trajectory was approximately point zero three degrees. At the speed we were traveling, this was not a serious error - we were able to correct it manually.'


He took a deep breath.


'Now, the variance is approximately twenty three degrees. And we are having trouble managing the engines.'


The room fell silent for a moment. Sorokov removed his glasses and sat back in the tall captain's chair.


'So what, exactly, does this mean? I assume the Von Braun is now under manual control. An ongoing variance of more than twenty degrees would put us seriously off course, especially if it was maintained for hours rather than minutes.'


Pennback felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. 'Er, well, that's the problem Captain... we do not have manual control right now. The ship is not responding to any manual override commands. Our first thought was simply to stop her dead in space so as not to go too far off course, but...'


'But what, Chief?' Sorokov leaned on his elbows and glared at the Chief Engineer.


'But...Sir, she won't stop.'


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'You seemed upset the other morning,' said Meryl between sips of wine. She tilted her head to the side, her large brown eyes glistening in the candle light.


'Geeze Meryl, I'm just doing my damn job. You know that.'


Ed Barker sat opposite her. A cigar was nestled between his index and middle fingers, as per usual.


The WPNN journalists were sitting at the edge of a crowded restaurant, on Deck Two. It was called [i]The Trojan[/i]. Their small, round table was situated at the very edge of the restaurant, directly in front of a large rectangular portal. Ed always had this table, even when he was by himself (which was usually the case).


Meryl wondered why Ed had invited her to dinner that night. Perhaps he felt guilty about pressing her on her interview with Sorokov, she thought. In all reality, there was no way she'd ever get an admission that the Captain didn't know what was on the lowest deck of the ship. Surely Ed knew that. What was the point of asking, anyway? Ed couldn't [i]really[/i] believe the crazy theories, could he? Those theories about something sinister lurking below and the maiden voyage of the world's first space hotel simply being a cover. It just didn't make sense.


The appetizers had just left the table and now they were waiting for their main course. Their conversation had so far been difficult and forced, largely due to Meryl's frequent desire to point out Ed's unfairness (and his ability to avoid getting into an argument). Eventually Meryl called a truce. The sly grin on her face made Ed laugh; she was obviously enjoying making him uncomfortable.


'There you are,' chuckled Meryl. 'See? Life isn't so serious! You need to get your eyes off those reels now and then, Ed. It isn't good for you.'


Ed smiled. It was a genuine, warm smile. Smiling definitely suited him. It softened his slightly hard edge and made him immensely attractive.


He finished off his glass of wine and petted his stomach. 'Ugh, I think I've had too much.'


Meryl raised an eyebrow. 'Ed, you've had one glass! Don't tell me you're a featherweight.'


Ed puffed on his cigar thoughtfully. 'I had a little nip of scotch before you came down here.'


'Oh?'


'Yeah, I thought I might need alcohol to get through dinner with you.'


They both roared with laughter. Meryl dabbed her eye with a napkin. 'You're an idiot,' she said flatly. 'But if I were you I'd probably have had a little something too.'


Ed winked and then held up their empty wine bottle, while gesturing to a nearby waiter. 'Actually,' he said as he put the bottle back in the cooler, 'I felt a little light-headed earlier. When I first came off the elevator I was sure I felt the whole room move. Maybe work is getting to me after all.'


Meryl brought the wine glass to her lips and paused before taking a sip. 'Really? That's strange. I felt it too, when I was getting ready earlier. My bathroom moved. It was only momentary, but it was enough to cause me to smear my lipstick. That's why I was a little late... I didn't want to come down looking like I'd tried to get made up on a roller coaster or something.'


Ed's smile faded slightly. He looked out toward the endless sea of stars.


'What is it?' asked Meryl as she too finished off her final glass of wine.


'Well, I'd been speaking to some other press at the bar before you arrived...there's some suggestion that the ship is even further off course. Do you think that movement earlier had anything to do with it?'


Meryl considered this for a moment. 'I don't know,' she said finally. 'Earlier they'd said the ship was only slightly off course and that it would be corrected any moment. If we've been off course for hours...'


They looked at each other across the table.


The waiter arrived with a fresh bottle of wine. Ed waved his hand at the boy, shooing him away. 'Perhaps we had better return to our quarters and get a cam ready. We might need to follow this up.'


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Zahir stood at the bathroom sink. The towel was wrapped around his waist and his hair was dripping wet. Long, dark curls fell over his eyebrows.


The door opened slightly, startling him. It was Arthur.


'Oh, I'm sorry,' stammered Arthur. 'I thought you were--'


'It's okay,' said Zahir. 'I just got a fright, that's all. I'm still feeling a little strange after what happened to us...'


Arthur nodded. He lingered in the doorway. His eyes seemed to be trying to remain fixed on Zahir's, but they occasionally darted downward.


'Can I use this?' Zahir pointed to a brush on the counter.


'Of course,' said Arthur. 'It's not like I have any use for it.' He rubbed his head and grinned. Zahir laughed - he felt strange, it seemed like he had not laughed in a long time.


'I'll be ready in a moment,' said Zahir. 'Just need to throw some clothes on after I've brushed my hair. What should we do after that?'


'Don't you have a shift starting soon?'


Zahir's heart sank. 'Oh, yes, I forgot...'


'Never mind,' said Arthur. 'I will come and visit you. You can make me a cocktail. How about it? We'll catch up later.'


Zahir smiled. 'Sounds good to me. I'd better be quick then, I've got to change into a fresh uniform.'


Arthur nodded and began closing the door. 'Zahir, I--'


Zahir looked up expectantly. Arthur's eyes wandered over him. This time he did not seem to force himself to focus only on Zahir's face. 'Never mind. We'll talk later. I don't want to make you late.'


The floor seemed to move ever so slightly. Arthur remained in the doorway. 'Zee! Did you feel that? It happened again!'


Zahir nodded and put the brush down on the counter. It rolled off and fell to the floor with a thud.


'What is happening, Arthur?'


They could hear a sound outside. The light began to change. A deep red hue fell over the room.


Zahir was in autopilot, he ran to the other side of the bathroom, removed his towel and slipped on a clean set of clothes. When he approached the doorway, Arthur was still standing there. His face seemed blank in the red light.


'What's happening?' Zahir's voice shook slightly. He knew Arthur probably had no answers, but he somehow felt that Arthur might know [i]something[/i].


'I don't know, Zee...I'm sorry. We'd better leave the house and go to the lobby. Maybe there's an emergency. Come on, let's go!'


Arthur reached out. Zahir took his hand immediately and followed him through the bedroom and out of the house.


They ran, hand-in-hand, across the grass toward the trees. Everything felt so strange. The sky above them flashed between light and dark red, on and off, over and over again. The clouds were gone and the water in the creek had stopped flowing. It seemed like everything was shutting down.


Suddenly, a calm, female voice became audible somewhere in the distance. It echoed around the deck:


[i]"All guests, please make your way to your nearest emergency access point and wait for further instructions. Walk, do not run. Please do not panic. If you are not near an emergency access point, please assemble at your nearest lobby. Thank you."[/i]


'Where do we go? Where's the nearest access point here?' cried Zahir. He had to raise his voice, as an alarm began sounding just after the female voice spoke.


'Lobby!' cried Arthur. 'It's the closest!'


As they ran, Zahir glanced upward at the large screens that surrounded the inner cylinder of the ship. He only caught a couple of minor glimpses at them, but they seemed to be showing a diagram of the Von Braun with a long red line protruding from its hull. There was an arrow at the end of the line. And there was a planet just near the head of the arrow.</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

[Aaryanna]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Katelyn had left the first class deck hours ago. It wasn?t that the others made her uncomfortable, it was that after all that had happened; she was tired, more mentally than physically. Even though they had been stuck at the station for hours, the actual walking and crawling through the air system hadn?t been that hard. It was what they had found that still had her mind spinning in circles. She had stayed around for a while before finally taking her leave and finding a member of the ships staff to let her back into her room. It had taken very little time to take a shower and get cleaned up. She had been sitting out on the little balcony to her quarters for what seemed like hours, lost in thought, when it felt like a tremor ran through the balcony. [i]Ehhh? [/i] She tiled her head to the side and placed her hands flat on the surface of the table. Nothing. Katelyn looked out at those going about their business below, no one seemed to be alarmed or bothered. [i]I must have been imaging things.[/i] She put it out of mind, after all, the technology on the Von Braun was too advanced for a human to notice actual ship movements. The real question was what, if anything, should she do about what she had learned. She didn?t have a camera like the reporter, so telling anyone was out of the question. No one would believe her. What good would that do anyway? All she had, other than seeing the aliens, was what others had told her. Just because Zahir seemed to have read stuff, it didn?t mean what he had told them was even true. How did they know that the aliens they found weren?t a recent discovery? No matter how she looked at it, she wasn?t willing to assume more than what she knew. [i]What about that terrorist group though?[/i] Katelyn wondered if they would have really done what they did if they didn?t have proof. [i]Don?t be silly, proof or not, you don?t kill innocent people.[/i] With a snort of disgust she stood up and then clutched the railing tightly when the same tremor she had felt before returned. To her amazement the small vase of flowers on the small table actual moved a few inches on its own. [i]That can?t be good.[/i] A moment later, it fell off the table completely, landing on its side. Katelyn ran into her room to check the computer terminal. She had taken no more than a few steps when the light changed to a red hue that was shortly followed by a message displaying on the screen. It was followed by a diagram of the ship itself, indicating that it was? [i]You?ve got to be kidding me! How can that even be possible?[/i] For what seemed like an eternity Katelyn just stood there, staring at the screen. The sounds of people?s voices carrying into her room from the balcony door that was still open caused her to come back to herself with a start. [i]I?d better hurry, if it?s a real emergency?[/i] She buried that thought and hurried to grab a few things before leaving her quarters.

[Sabrina]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Once the guests had finally left; Viktor had helped Misha put everything away before they both got cleaned up. Now the two of them were lounging in the living room to Viktor?s quarters. He was lying on his back on the sofa, with his hands under his head. Viktor closed his eyes and propped his feet up on the cushions. His hair was still slightly damp from the quick shower he had taken and the moisture couldn?t be good for the expensive fabric, but he was too lost in thought to notice. For once Misha said nothing about his careless manner but instead leaned back into the plush chair across from the sofa and waited patiently for Viktor to explain as like he said he would. What Viktor told him was something that if not for how level headed he knew he was, would have had him thinking Viktor was pulling a prank on him. Aliens and conspiracies? It was all just a bit to fanciful for him to think he was actually kidding. ?[B]The real problem Misha is that I think we were left behind to die.[/B]? ?[B]Don?t you think you?re overreacting to what you saw?[/B]? Misha looked unconvinced. ?[B]Even if you learned about something you should not have, don?t you think it?s a bit of a stretch to think they would silence everyone? It was probably an error in the shuttle?s system, glitches do occur.[/B]? Viktor sighed. He swung his feet off the couch and stretched his arms up above his head before settling back down in a sitting position. ?[B]Yes they do occur, but I don?t believe that I?m overacting. And I don?t believe that this was due to an error. I think most of the others understand this, but unless some of them have more extensive technological knowledge, I wonder if they realize the only way we could have been left behind is if someone altered the computer records of the shuttle.[/B]? ?[B]I don?t understand, I thought you said that some of them forgot their identification cards. Doesn?t the system of the Von Braun use those to keep track of the passengers?[/B]? Viktor frowned slightly, ?[B]The system is designed to keep track of everyone, and the ID cards only tell them who it is. ID card or not, it should have had an accurate record of the number of people who came over to compare to the number who came back.[/B]? ?[B]That takes us back to the possibility of a glitch in the system. The Von Braun is also having issues with the navigation systems too.[/B]? Misha pointed out. ?[B]I don?t buy it.[/B]? Viktor shook his head. ?[B]Everything for this trip would have been checked and rechecked to make sure all was in order. It?s a bit to pat for the system to suddenly have a glitch.[/B]? He leaned forward. ?[B]The station was deserted; the power was not operating correctly, we were locked in and then the shuttle conveniently has a glitch that doesn?t notice nine passengers aren?t onboard?[/B]? He stood up. ?[B]Are you also telling me that every single one of the personnel from the Von Braun didn?t notice someone was missing?[/B]? Viktor started pacing a bit. ?[B]When you consider that there were only sixty people on the shuttle to begin with, I find it a bit hard to swallow that absolutely no one noticed at all.[/B]? He stopped and looked directly at Misha. ?[B]Someone knew and took steps to cover it.[/B]? Misha stood up as well, ?[B]That still doesn?t mean someone was trying to silence everyone.[/B]? ?[B]Oh I know,[/B]? Viktor sank into the sofa and crossed his legs. ?[B]I think it?s also possible that someone was being sent to deal with us. If you consider all the conspiracy theories about people vanishing?[/B]? He smiled grimly at Misha, ?[B]The best we can do now is to lie low and hope no one realizes we didn?t get left behind.[/B]? He grimaced, ?[B]I only hope that the security personnel assigned to Ms Wells isn?t the one responsible, otherwise, they already know that I somehow made it back to the Von Braun.[/B]? ?[B]That?s why you didn?t mention the young miss.[/B]? Misha surmised. ?[B]Yeah, once I thought about it, I realized that mentioning I was touring the ship with her would bring attention to the fact that she?s back as well.[/B]? Misha was turning to sit back down when the lights in their quarters changed and a deep red hue flooded the room. Both of them looked at one another and then immediately made for the closest computer terminal to figure out what had just happened.

[Horendithas]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/IMG] [IMG] http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/malkav.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER][SIZE="1"] [i]What an odd trip this has turned out to be[/i], Jeff thought. He had been expecting to possibly encounter issues with members of the group Terra Prime, not to find their stop at the deep space outpost abandoned. Or to deal with passenger complaints or a Chief of Security who had issues of her own. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure what he thought of it. He had no previous experience with this type of assignment to compare it to. Something was off, it was more than the navigational error or the outpost, it was a feeling that things were about to spiral out of control. For all of Ms Wells’s polite and cheerful nature, she was just too idealistic and inexperienced in Jeff’s opinion. It was nice since dealing with all the arrogance and inflexibility with other high ranking politicians did get old, but it was also irritating to have to keep up with her inability to recognize that with just one person assigned to her, she was not adequately protected.[I] Just what are those fools in NARSIA thinking? [/I] So putting that aside why was he getting such a strong feeling that things were about to fall apart? The issues were for the most part, pretty standard or rather it was expected in his line of work. He pressed a hand to his forehead before leaning further into the leather recliner in the living room of their quarters. Jeff had pushed really hard to land the assignment, who wouldn’t? He lowered his hand when Samantha came rushing out of her room, she was looking at her small personal computer, oblivious to his presence as she made for the door. “[B]What’s the matter?[/B]” The small computer dropped to the floor with a loud clatter. Samantha clutched her shirt tightly, “[B]Don’t startle me like that Jeff![/B]” She admonished him before leaning over to pick the computer she had dropped. “[B]You didn’t answer my question.[/B]” Jeff got up. “[B]What’s wrong?[/B]” “[B]I don’t have time to explain…[/B]” “[B]Then tell me along the way.[/B]” “[B]You’re not coming…[/B]” “[B]Oh yes I am.[/B]” Jeff interrupted her. “[B]We’ve had this argument before; wandering around the Von Braun with no security at all is unacceptable.[/B]” She started to protest but finally nodded when it was clear Jeff wasn’t going to back down. “[B]So what’s going on?[/B]” He asked as they hurried to the lift. “[B]The navigational system is not responding.[/B]” She explained as the doors closed. “[B]I thought they were able to compensate for that manually.[/B]” “[B]Not anymore,[/B]” she said grimly. “[B]Unless Lazar can do something and quick we’ll have to evacuate the Von Braun.[/B]” The lift came to a halt to admit none other than Major Sijan.[I] Oh lovely,[/I] Jeff thought as the Major along with some other personnel joined them on the lift. Her expression was far from amused and the doors had barely closed before she immediately laid into Samantha. “[B]Looking to poke your nose where it doesn’t belong again?[/B]” She crossed her arms and waited as if daring Samantha to say anything. “[B]When it comes to matters involving the Von Braun[/B],” Samantha said icily, “[B]it is my business.[/B]” “[B]And what would that be? I don’t need any security codes to check the shuttles for an emergency launch.[/B]” The Major shot back. “[B]It’s not like I’m checking that sealed deck that no one can get into.[/B]” Samantha stiffened. “[B]What has that got to do with anything? The shuttles aren’t located on that deck and if the problem was there, don’t you think the Captain would have given you clearance?[/B]” She took a deep breath and let it out as the lift came to a halt. “[B]We don’t have time for you to worry over whether or not I’m too young or too inexperienced or whatever it is you have against me Major.[/B]” She moved to brush past them and exit the lift. “[B]Just ignore me like you already have and worry about the passengers instead.[/B]” [I]What the hell? [/I]Jeff hurried to catch up. [I]Since when did she…[/I] He glanced over his shoulder and hastily looked back.[I] If we don’t end up evacuating… this is going to get interesting.[/I] Saying the Major was annoyed, was putting it mildly. They were almost to where the shuttles were located when the lighting changed to the standard emergency red hue. [I]Oh hell.[/I][/SIZE]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]
If it wasn?t one thing, it was another. Natalia had managed to get back to the Von Braun with the others, no one had reported her missing and after stopping at her quarters to get cleaned up she had joined the others at Viktor Ivanov?s quarters. It would have been more enjoyable if it hadn?t been totally obvious that people were desperately trying to relax. The conversation, jokes and laughter reminded her of people at the casino who were on the verge of losing everything.

Finally, she had been unable to stand it and took her leave to head back to her own quarters for the night. The sooner the trip was over and they were back on Earth the better. She was almost there when it hit her that she didn?t have the slim wallet that she kept in her dress pocket. In fact, now that she thought about it, she hadn?t seen it since she got back to the Von Braun. [I]I need to find that.[/I]

[CENTER]***********************

[IMG]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/IMG][/CENTER]

Hours later, Natalia had not found it. She had looked at the Casino, checked with Viktor and retraced her steps since she returned to?[I] Of course! [/I]If it wasn?t at the space station or anywhere else, the only other place it could be was on the escape pod. Natalia grabbed her ID tag and dashed out of her quarters to head for the level where the shuttles and other ships attached to the Von Braun would be. [I]They?ll know something is up if anyone finds that in the pod.[/I]

It didn?t take her long to get there and only a few minutes to wait for the corridor closest to where the pod was docked to be clear. Natalia snuck in quickly. Sure enough the small thin wallet was halfway down the side of the seat she had been sitting in. She stuffed it into her pocket and exited the escape pod. She had barely left where it was docked when the lights changed to a deep red.

Natalia froze in place. [I]Did someone see me?[/I] Her heart began to race. [I]No, that can?t be right, can it? [/I]All sorts of wild ideas ran through her head. They knew they had returned - they knew they had seen those aliens that they shouldn?t have seen? Each thought was more absurd than the last and yet she felt the urge to panic anyway. For the longest moment she couldn?t even move. It took the sounds of someone approaching to snap her out of it, but before she could think to do more than take a single step, two people came hurrying around the corner.

[I]Oh hell![/I] Of all the people to run into, why did it have to be Ms. Wells and her personal security? If the others were right about their conspiracy theories? Natalia jumped when Ms Wells grasped her arm gently.

?[B]There?s no need to worry,[/B]? She smiled at her. ?[B]It?s just a precaution.[/B]?

[I]Precaution? What is she talking about?[/I] Natalia looked from Ms. Wells to her escort. Unlike the calm expression Ms. Wells had, his told a different story. Something was obviously bugging him.

?[B]I uh?[/B]? She stammered.

?[B]Just follow the emergency evacuation instructions and you?ll be fine,[/B]? he told her gruffly before moving to go around her.

Ms Wells rolled her eyes. ?[B]You really need to work on your people skills Jeff.[/B]? She took Natalia?s arm in hers. ?[B]Ignore him, we?ll be checking out the shuttles so just come with us.[/B]?

?[B]But?[/B]?

?[B]No buts. You won?t get in the way and I?ll feel better knowing you got to the right one,[/B]? she smiled reassuringly at Natalia again, ?[B]okay?[/B]?

Natalia looked over to see her security scowling slightly in her direction. ?[B]I guess.[/B]? She finally stammered, uncertain how to extract herself from the situation.

?[B]Good,[/B]? Ms. Wells said brightly. ?[B]Now, let?s get going.[/B]?

[James]

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Arichan16/arthur.jpg[/img][/center] A strange calm seemed to come across the ship. As Zahir and Arthur made their way toward the nearest elevator, they momentarily looked back and noticed that dozens of people were still strolling casually through the manicured lawns at the base of the synthetic mountain. Few people seemed genuinely concerned, despite the frightening vivid red glow that now covered everything on the deck. The elevator doors whooshed open. A familiar, friendly face appeared and smiled broadly at them. The face did not talk as the elevator descended toward the main lobby. Zahir found himself transfixed on the A.I. woman's large, blue eyes. As they stared at each other, he felt a chill run down his spine. Zahir held his stomach. He felt sick. The panic and terror of being stranded on an outpost somewhere in space was enough, but now there seemed a real prospect that the Von Braun was in serious trouble. What did it mean? What was the planet they were headed to? Surely [i]someone[/i] would be able to stop this madness and put things right. Finally, the elevator doors opened. Zahir took a deep breath. The lobby was flooded with people. So much so that it looked extremely cramped and difficult to move. [i]Why move everyone here?[/i] he thought. As they stepped out into the crowd, Zahir noticed several familiar faces, including some of the young men who worked at his bar. Above the crowd were several dozen monitors, which all displayed the same image of the ship's trajectory. Arthur squeezed Zahir's hand. 'Keep following me,' he said above the din of the crowd. 'We aren't staying here just now.' 'Where are we going?' Zahir had trouble hearing over the noise of the passengers and staff, most of whom were now starting to panic aloud as rumors began to spread among them. 'We're going down to the Shuttle Dock,' said Arthur. 'It's our best chance if this thing crashes.' 'But there are enough shuttles for everyone!' cried Zahir. 'It might be dangerous if we try to leave on our own!' Arthur paused for a moment and looked at Zahir earnestly. 'Are you sure about that?' Memories of the Outpost filtered back into his mind. He shook his head slowly. 'Then let's go!' cried Arthur. He pulled Zahir's arm and led him through the crowd, out to the other side of the lobby. The crowd was so concerned with its own discussion and argument that nobody seemed to pay any attention to Arthur and Zahir as they exited through a hallway marked "SECURITY STAFF ONLY" [center][img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar1_crew.gif[/img] [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/maul.jpg[/img][/center] Jedidiah Pennback's face glowed an eerie green hue. He had been sitting in front of computer monitors for hours. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Lazar Sorokov. 'Have you found anything yet, Chief?' Pennback removed his glasses and wiped the lenses with his shirt. 'Kind of,' he said tentatively. 'There are several anomalies with the authorization records, Sir. Have a look at this,' he pointed to the screen and opened a folder. There were several files inside. 'There are all what we call "Authorization Keys". Every time a senior staff member or security personnel authorize a particular action, one of these keys is produced. Each key is assigned to the individual staff member. We use these keys to determine who is authorizing what actions around the ship at any given time.' Sorokov nodded thoughtfully. 'Yes, I'm well aware of this system. Is there a problem?' Pennback sighed and opened one of the files. Sorokov pushed his glasses up his nose and squinted. He saw what looked like a large spreadsheet. There were several noticeable gaps. 'What's this?' 'These,' said Pennback, 'are deleted keys. And look at where they have occurred. A couple of authorization keys were processed from the ship but related to the NARSIA Outpost before we even arrived! And then there were several authorizations processed after we left. There were also modifications made to passenger records and several fail safe systems were deactivated.' Sorokov stared at the screen. 'Why didn't we notice these anomalies before?' 'Well, I suppose nobody really checks these files, Captain. There are literally thousands of them produced every day, because all kinds of authorizations take place. It's impossible to [i]change[/i] the I.D. related to any of these authorizations. And we had thought it was impossible to outright delete records, too...' 'Yes, I thought the system prevented that kind of tampering. This was installed by NARA wasn't it? It had nothing to do with the ship's manufacturer?' Pennback nodded. 'Yes, this is a Government system.' 'So it follows,' said Sorokov slowly, 'that only a senior Government employee would have the permissions to remove entries. Is that accurate?' 'I think that's a fair statement,' said Pennback. 'Did this also affect our trajectory?' asked Sorokov. Pennback scanned through the files. 'No, Captain. In fact, look at this. There are several deleted entries under the manual navigation system. It looks like someone has actually tried to fix our course without success.' 'So the same person who tampered with systems on the Outpost, as well as passenger data [i]also[/i] tried to get the Von Braun back on course? It doesn't make sense.' Pennback rubbed his forehead. The Captain was right. If someone had tried to sabotage the Outpost or put the lives of passengers in danger, why would they try to avoid a disastrous crash? 'All I want to know, Chief, is who would have this kind of access,' said Sorokov finally. 'The Von Braun is dangerously off-course. Your team of engineers have our lives in your hands. I want to make sure that I do everything in my power to avoid any more nasty surprises so that you can focus on keeping this ship safely on course.' For a moment, Pennback seemed to be considering the Captain's demand. He reached over his desk and produced a cigarette from a thin metal case. As he lit a match and took a deep breath, he looked up at the Captain. 'Those Outpost commands originated from this ship,' he said as smoke billowed into the air. 'And the Outpost's security systems can only be influenced by one person on the Von Braun. Unless there are any other NARSIA staff here, then I think we both know who I'm talking about.' Sorokov's stomach sank. He felt foolish. The answer should have been obvious from the beginning, but he had allowed himself to be charmed into a false sense of security. 'You need not say any more. I will summon all security who are not involved with the evacuation procedures and send them to arrest her immediately.' [center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Arichan16/arthur.jpg[/img] [img]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/img] [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/img] [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [/center] The long, dark corridor stretched out before them. They could hear only their footsteps at first, but as they rounded several deserted corners, voices became audible. Arthur slowed down. 'What is it?' whispered Zahir. Arthur put his finger to his lips and glanced back at Zahir. He seemed worried. As they moved further down the hallway, Zahir noticed that the alarm sound had stopped. Red lights continued to flash along the corridors. There were few doorways leading in or out of where they were now, but there were several signs pointing to the Shuttle Dock. This corridor had seemed so welcoming only hours ago, when Zahir and the others had returned from the Outpost. Now it took on an entirely different feel. It was dark and cold. The voices grew louder. Zahir could clearly hear two women and, occasionally, a man. One voice he recognized. It was Natalia. They were very close now. Zahir felt his breathing grow shallow. Arthur stopped as they came to the end of the hall; it took a sharp ninety degree turn. The Shuttle Dock was just beyond. Arthur reached down to his hip. He placed his hand on the top of a shiny object that sat on his hip. As the red lights swirled overhead, Zahir couldn't quite see what it was. The Shuttle Dock doors opened with a quiet [i]swoosh[/i]. Zahir had forgotten how large the dock actually was. When the Outpost survivors had returned to the Von Braun, it had been necessary to move quickly and quietly back to the passenger decks. There had been no time to look around and admire the place. The entire dock unfolded before them. The center of the dock contained a large open space where shuttles arrived and departed. Once a shuttle landed, it would taxi along pre-determined channels that ran along the expansive floor, until it arrived at an open space to dock. The sides of the Shuttle Dock contained what looked like hundreds of honeycomb-shaped cells that sat on top of one another. Each contained a shuttle. It looked like the inside of a giant bee hive. Several shuttles sat in a row within the open central space. Zahir counted four of them. All of the hundreds of shuttles in the dock had darkened windows, but the shuttle on the end of the row before them was lit up. And there were people standing nearby, engaged in what appeared to be an increasingly-heated discussion. Both Arthur and Zahir approached cautiously. As they walked, they kept their bodies hidden in shadow as much as possible – Arthur seemed very eager to hear what was going on without being discovered. They went quiet. Zahir could decipher three distinct voices; two women and a man. He immediately recognized the first voice: it was Natalia. What was she doing down here? The other voices were harder to discern. The woman’s voice was smooth, collected and yet firm. The man interjected occasionally, apparently questioning the other woman. And then, it clicked; [i]Samantha Wells[/i]. It was clearly her. Zahir remembered her voice from when they landed on the Outpost. He had read about her in the Von Braun’s brochure, but very little detail was provided. All he knew was that she was from NARSIA and was therefore very senior on the ship. Zahir did not know who the man was, but he assumed that he was her second in command or perhaps her bodyguard. Zahir strained his ears to listen in on the conversation. It was somewhat difficult because of the echoing effect within the dock. ‘I came down here because I [i]thought[/i] that it was my job to arrange shuttles for casino employees,’ said Natalia. She spoke in a frustrated tone. ‘You need not have worried about that,’ said Samantha calmly. ‘We would rather that you make sure people evacuate from the casino – security can handle the rest. Now, if you’ll just follow me...’ Zahir heard a slight rustling sound and a pause. Samantha must have been trying to lead Natalia along. [i]Big mistake,[/i] thought Zahir. ‘Where on Earth are you leading me anyway? You just said I should be at the casino. That’s precisely where I intend to go.’ ‘No, I think you’d be safer if you just come with us.’ Samantha’s voice was slightly sharper. Her cool demeanour was being challenged. Zahir moved forward slightly and squinted. He and Arthur were standing in the shadow of a large sign near the dock’s entrance. Zahir tried to position himself to get a better look. He could now see Natalia, Samantha and the other man standing near the lit-up shuttle. Natalia had her hands on her hips. ‘Are you not responsible for security on the entire ship?’ snapped Natalia. ‘Why are you so concerned about me? There are thousands of people up there. Perhaps [i]you[/i] should be doing [i]your[/i] job!’ Samantha didn’t move. She seemed to be temporarily stunned, as if someone had flashed a bright light in her eyes. Zahir imagined nobody had ever spoken to her like that before. She then looked over at the man standing next to her, who was remaining quiet. ‘Jeff, I think this woman is hysterical. We are in an emergency situation and we do not have time to waste arguing. She will only make it more difficult for us to assist the other passengers. Please restrain her and seat her in this shuttle. It is already active and I’m sure she’ll be quite comfortable. If an evacuation is ordered, we will use this shuttle for the PPS.’ Samantha smiled broadly. Jeff acknowledged her, but seemed uncomfortable. Natalia raised an eyebrow. ‘PPS? What are you talking about now? And no, I’m not hysterical, I’m [i]annoyed[/i]. I am a manager on board this ship and I expect to be treated with dignity. The Captain will hear about this.’ Samantha spun around and glared at Natalia. ‘PPS: Potential Problem Source,’ she said flatly. Zahir thought this must be some kind of NARSIA jargon. At first, Natalia balked. She clearly thought the whole situation was utterly ridiculous. She was among the highest-paid and most-respected staff members on the Von Braun and here she was, being patronized by someone younger and less experienced than herself. Her expression changed when Jeff produced a small set of plastic handcuffs. He took a step towards her and then paused and looked back at Samantha. ‘Ms. Wells, [i]really[/i]…I don’t think this woman is hysterical. This was all just a misunderstanding. Why don’t we just go back and speak to Captain Sorokov about the evacuation plan?’ ‘Jeff, I believe I gave you an order. You don’t want to be like Major Sijan do you? I’m sure there will be a write-up or two about her submitted to NARSIA upon our return. That certainly won’t help her career.’ Samantha smiled. As she spoke to Jeff, she almost sounded like a disappointed mother. Natalia’s hands were now balled into fists. ‘Ridiculous!’ she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the Shuttle Dock. ‘Don’t now threaten his job because he won’t carry out your inappropriate orders! Since when is this ship your personal playground?’ Samantha cocked her head to one side. She looked at Jeff. ‘Jeff? Do I need to ask you a second time? Surely not.’ Jeff gripped the cuffs in his hands. He seemed to be torn. Carry out the orders, as much as he disagreed, or disobey a senior officer? The latter could end his career. But the former felt like a cynical abuse of power. Natalia put her arms out and stared at Samantha. ‘Why don’t you do it yourself? Clearly you didn’t count on your subordinate having a conscience!’ ‘It’s for your own safety,’ replied Samantha softly. ‘That is my primary concern.’ Natalia laughed. ‘Oh really? So where were you when a dozen of us got left behind on the Outpost back there? Or didn’t you notice that we were even gone? It boggles the mind to think that such a qualified senior NARSIA officer can be so lax on security!’ At this, Samantha went quiet again. Jeff seemed surprised. ‘What? Left behind? What are you talking about?’ ‘I told you she was hysterical,’ muttered Samantha smugly. ‘I’m not hysterical and you know it!’ Natalia pointed at Samantha. ‘We were left behind,’ she turned her attention to Jeff. ‘Nobody wanted to say anything because we were afraid of a reaction just like this. Well, I’ve had enough and I’m not going to stay quiet about it. And if you’re going to arrest me anyway, I don’t see any point in keeping quiet about it.’ Jeff glanced at Samantha. He had trusted her as his superior. Surely she wasn’t lying. How could she possibly have known about people being left behind on a NARSIA station without saying anything? She pre-empted his question. ‘You are my personal security, Jeff. It just isn’t necessary for you to know everything. This is classified NARSIA information. Besides, this woman is obviously suffering from some kind of mental breakdown right now; I wouldn’t believe a word she said.’ Samantha stepped forward. ‘Now, as much as I’m enjoying our little chat, we need to secure this dock. Jeff, arrest her like I ordered, please. She must be restrained for her own protection and the protection of other passengers.’ Natalia stepped backwards toward the shuttle. Jeff still seemed hesitant. ‘No,’ he said finally. ‘I’m not going to arrest her. I’m sorry, Ms. Wells, but you’ll have to do it yourself. I disagree with your order.’ He dropped the plastic cuffs on the ground. Zahir’s eyes were peeled. His heart began racing as he watched. ‘Fine,’ said Samantha calmly. She reached underneath her jacket and produced a shiny object. Zahir heard Natalia’s gasp echo past them. Zahir squinted to try to get a better look and then he saw it. [i]Oh my god, she’s holding a gun! What the hell is she doing?[/i] Samantha grinned and trained the gun on her targets. ‘What are you doing?!’ cried Jeff. He stepped in front of Natalia. ‘This is illegal! You can’t threaten us like this!’ Samantha kept her gun aimed squarely at the pair. She moved sideways, towards the next shuttle, which was still darkened inside. A small panel protruded from one side, near the door. With her free hand, Samantha typed a code into the panel – she did not avert her eyes from Natalia and Jeff the whole time. With a soft whir, the shuttle came to life. Its interior lights glowed warmly. ‘Listen to me carefully,’ said Samantha in a quiet, deliberate tone. ‘Both of you will board that shuttle. I will board this one. I don’t want either of you mentioning this little incident to anyone on this ship. If you disobey me this time, I will shoot both of you and [i]drag[/i] your bodies aboard.’ Natalia put her hand on Jeff’s shoulder. He could feel it shaking. ‘Don’t think you’ll get away with this,’ said Jeff. ‘Where are you going in the shuttle anyway?’ He was trying to buy some time. [i]Hopefully when we haven’t been heard from in a while, the security staff will come looking for us. Maybe Major Sijan will come back,[/i] he thought. Surprisingly, Samantha took the bait. ‘I’m going as far away from here as possible! This ship is going to go down and I’m not going to be here when it does.’ ‘Wait,’ said Jeff as he put his hands in the air, indicating that he was no threat. ‘You knew this was going to happen?’ Samantha’s eyes darted back and forth between them. ‘Of course not! Why would I want to crash the Von Braun? The mission is going to fail and they’ll blame me. I’m not staying around for that!’ As she spoke, her gun began to shake slightly. Natalia peered out from behind Jeff. ‘Mission? This is just a hotel ship! Our only mission should be to return to Earth safely!’ Samantha laughed shrilly. ‘Do you really think they’d put someone like [i]me[/i] on a regular hotel ship? Don’t you remember what you saw in that laboratory? Oh yes, I know you were there. And I know what you saw. We even have audio records of your conversation. If only you knew about the company you keep!’ Zahir looked up at Arthur. His hand was on his waist, his fingers sitting on the top of that silver object. Up close, Zahir could see its outline. His heart began to race even faster; Arthur had a gun of his own! What reason could he possibly have to hold a gun? ‘What are you doing?’ whispered Zahir. ‘If she knows we’re here she’ll kill us!’ ‘Don’t worry,’ replied Arthur, ‘she’s unravelling herself anyway. I may not need to do anything after all.’ ‘Do what? What are you talking about?’ Arthur pressed his fingers to his lips. ‘Sshh, I don’t want them to hear us. Listen, it’s a lot to explain right now, but you trust me don’t you?’ Zahir nodded. He did not need to think about it. ‘Good,’ whispered Arthur. ‘Samantha Wells is a very dangerous woman, Zee. She has to be stopped one way or another. She’s planning something horrible, we just don’t know what.’ ‘We?’ Before Arthur could respond, Natalia spoke. ‘The company I keep can’t be any worse than this,’ she said, looking Samantha up and down. ‘You’re supposed to be here for our protection! What mission are you talking about anyway? What’s going on?’ ‘The Shirota Strain,’ replied Samantha with a grin. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it. Your little friend Arthur told you all about the origins of the Great Disaster, didn’t he? All you have to do is put two-and-two together! You’re an intelligent woman – at least, I [i]thought[/i] you were.’ ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ said Natalia. ‘Doesn’t matter,’ said Samantha. ‘When this ship crashes, everybody on board will die. Those who know about the strain won’t live to tell anybody on Earth about it. This mission may have failed, but we’ll be more successful the second time!’ She gestured towards the shuttle with her gun. ‘Now, go.’ Jeff looked down at Natalia. ‘It’ll be okay,’ he whispered, ‘the shuttle will keep us safe. Come on, we’d better get in before she feels too cornered.’ Natalia nodded. She looked distressed, but remained calm. Just as they boarded the shuttle and the door closed behind them, Samantha aimed her gun at one of the shuttle’s engines. ‘Oh god,’ whispered Zahir, ‘if she damages the engine they’ll never get back!’ Without warning, Arthur dived out from behind the sign, his gun drawn. ‘Samantha, stop!’ Samantha wheeled around and fired her gun in Arthur’s direction. Just as she did so, the ground beneath them shook violently. Arthur fell sideways and slid along the ground, hitting a pile of storage crates nearby. Samantha fell backwards into the shuttle she was standing near. Zahir heard the thud of her gun as it fell from her hand. A voice came over the Von Braun’s loudspeakers: [center][b][i]WARNING, COLLISION IMMINENT. IF SEATED, USE THE BRACE POSITION. ENSURE ALL HATCHES ARE LOCKED AND SECURE. DO NOT STAND UP. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ROOM. COLLISION IMMINENT. BRACE FOR IMPACT.[/center][/b][/i] The ship lurched sideways and what was once a flat floor suddenly dipped on a steep angle. Zahir began sliding uncontrollably toward the other side of the dock. As he looked up, he saw Arthur sliding close by. He reached out to grab Arthur’s hand, but they were only just too far apart. The shuttles that were all docked on the high side of the room were being held inside their honeycomb cells by some kind of electronic restraint system. Zahir could see them leaning forward, dangerously close to the edge as the room tilted further. If the power failed at all, dozens of shuttles would come toppling out of the cells right on top of them. He looked back toward the group of shuttles that had been sitting in the middle of the dock. They were sliding along the floor, sparking with the friction. He couldn’t see Natalia or Jeff; they must have been lying on the floor. Zahir tried as much as possible to keep from hitting any obstacles as he slid, but as the ship tilted further and further, he slid faster and faster. A sudden flash of pain hit him as his arm caught the edge of a reception desk on the way past. Finally, he hit the opposite wall of the dock with a heavy thud. Arthur fell just beside him. 'Arthur!' Zahir grabbed Arthur's shoulders and shook him. His eyes were closed and his nose was bleeding. 'Come on! Wake up!' A thunderous crash sounded on the other side of the dock. Zahir instinctively looked up and saw that one shuttle had come loose from its rails and had fallen several meters to the ground. One side of the dock contained an extensive reinforced clear panel, where Zahir could see the outside world. He noticed that instead of the star field he was used to, he saw what looked like flames lapping up against the ship. It was the burning of entry to an atmosphere. Any moment, the impact would happen. He held Arthur and curled up with his head down. He prayed that they would live.

Landmark 04: Shipwrecked on the Red Giant

[font=arial][size=2][color=#202020][center][/center] [i]"Early reports suggest that NARA has lost contact with the Von Braun, only days after its maiden voyage commenced. NARA scientists say that this is normal and expected, given the ship's present location. Scientists expect communications to resume sometime tomorrow morning." Washington Prime News Network (WPNN)[/i] [size=1][B]Important notes:[/B] The Von Braun has crashed on the planet [b]Artenas[/b]. You may post at any time period (i.e. you can talk about what your character was doing when the ship crashed or prior to it) or you can post at the present (i.e. after the ship has crashed). The Von Braun is [b]extensively damaged[/b]. In some decks, survivors will be able to see the Artenas skyline through gaps in the hull. The holographic interiors are no longer functioning, so survivors will see the raw metal interior rather than the lush forest/nature animations. [b]Most passengers are now dead[/b]. Those who haven't posted in this RPG (or who only have one post early on) can assume that their characters are among the dead (or presumed dead) - at least unless they post in future. Although there are holes in the ship, [b]the atmosphere on Artenas is breathable[/b] and the pressure is similar to Earth. Artenas contains several major [b]mines[/b], presumed to be operated by [b]Species 167A[/b].[/size][/font][/size][/color]

[Sabrina]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Viktor would have had a hard time believing that something like this could happen if not for the mix up earlier at the outpost. The display on the monitor in their quarters was all too clear; the Von Braun was on a collision course. They were going to crash and it looked like no one could stop it. ?[B]We?d better get to the emergency access point.[/B]? Misha said. He looked to Viktor who nodded in response. ?[B]If that chart is correct, they?d better load up the shuttles quickly or else they?ll run out of time.[/B]? Viktor wasn?t an expert, but he had learned quite a bit for when it was time for him to take over running the family business. Unless they were using different measurements for the distance and time, they would hit that before people could be loaded onto the shuttles, even if they went directly there. [I]What are they thinking? At this rate we?re going to crash and no one will be ready. Why did they wait so long to do anything?[/I] These thoughts and more were running through his mind as he and Misha made for the lifts leading to the rest of the ship. ?[B]Sir.[/B]? Viktor came to a halt; the press of people rushing to get to the emergency access point was chaotic. It was clear that some of them were on the verge of panicking in spite of the ship?s crew trying to calm them down. Even more disturbing were members who were trying to bring along valuables. Voices were raised as people shouted at one another, and small luggage bags only added to the confusion as people kept running into one another in their attempts to get onto the lifts first. Other than to grab some emergency care kits and stuff them into a bag on their way out, Viktor and Misha had left everything else behind. Possessions were meaningless in a situation like this. ?[B]What do you want to do now?[/B]? ?[B]We?ll have to wait.[/B]? Viktor clenched his hands tightly into fists. ?[B]Trying to fight our way through that,[/B]? he shook his head and looked up to one of the displays showing the progress of the Von Braun. ?[B]There isn?t enough time.[/B]? For the longest time Viktor watched the crowds of people getting into the lifts, it was possible that he could fight his way through them, but someone like Misha? Frustrated he whirled in place and headed back to their quarters.[I] I can?t do anything. I can?t even see if the others will make it to the shuttles or not. Damn it![/I] ?[B]Sir! What are you doing?![/B]? Misha?s worried voice called out as he followed Viktor. ?[B]Hurry Misha, there isn?t much time.[/B]? Viktor called back as he started running. They had to get back to their quarters. It was too exposed otherwise. If the ship really did crash, their best chance would be to find a spot where they could hole up in their quarters and ride it out. Viktor and Misha had barely made it back to their quarters when a voice came over the Von Braun?s loudspeakers: [INDENT][SIZE="1"][B]WARNING, COLLISION IMMINENT. IF SEATED, USE THE BRACE POSITION. ENSURE ALL HATCHES ARE LOCKED AND SECURE. DO NOT STAND UP. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ROOM. COLLISION IMMINENT. BRACE FOR IMPACT.[/B][/SIZE][/INDENT] The door to their quarters slid shut as the ship lurched wildly, turning the once flat floor into a slope that sent both of them sprawling. Viktor rolled head over heels, coming up into a bit of a run as he tried to keep up. For the moment the quarter?s field that kept the furniture in place was still working, but when that quit?[I] We?re likely to be killed by stuff flying around unless?[/I] He reached out and grabbed a hold of Misha?s shirt, pulling him over as he made for the small closet by the door to their quarters. ?[B]Misha! We?ve got to get into the closet![/B]? He let go and braced himself as both of them hit the wall between the closet and the door to his quarters. Ignoring the pain from where he hit his knees, he reached over and opened up the door. At the same time he reached over and grabbed Misha?s hand, helping him recover from slamming face first into the wall.[I] Just a little more? [/I]he yanked hard, causing both of them to stumble into the closet before the door slammed shut. A split second later the sound of furniture hitting the door was heard before an even louder, more terrible roar could be heard. Viktor did his best to brace himself as a deep vibration started rattling the very walls of the closet him and Misha were in. They had gotten back in time, but would it make a difference or not? He smiled wanly at Misha?s frightened look and then hung on as the vibrations got progressively worse sending both of them to the floor. A split second later the contents of the closet tumbled down on both of them. Viktor felt like laughing, even though their situation was far from funny. Instead, he did his best to keep both himself and Misha from being tossed about, hoping he had enough strength to survive the crash.

[Horendithas]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] [SIZE="1"]Jeff wanted to believe it was a mistake. But the more Samantha talked, the more surreal the situation became. If he didn’t know better, since he had actually read the profile notes on Samantha, he would have thought he was talking to someone else altogether; a twin or someone impersonating her. He had refused the order to restrain Natalia since her actions and speech simply did not match up with what he had observed. He had expected Samantha to come to her senses instead of turning on both of them. And now, having been given the option to join Natalia in the shuttle or die, it was painfully clear. He had been used and played like a fool from the beginning. Jeff didn’t know what she was referring to when she mentioned ‘The Mission’ or ‘The Shirota Strain,’ and just who the hell was Arthur? One thing he did know. Both he and Natalia were in serious trouble. He doubted that Samantha would actually trust them to keep quiet about what she had just done and a quick check, showing that they had been locked in only proved it. [I]She must have used her clearance to override the shuttle’s system![/I] Jeff tried entering his own access code. The small little screen simply flashed the words in red ‘access denied.’ [I]She’s going to kill us both to cover her tracks![/I] He reached for his sidearm even though he knew it wasn’t powerful enough to force the door open. “[B]What’s wrong?[/B]” Natalia started to ask before she stumbled backwards and nearly fell when the shuttle shook violently. Before she or Jeff could wonder what had just happened, a moment later it lurched wildly, sending both of them crashing into the side of the small emergency shuttle. Jeff peered out the side window, he couldn’t see much but it looked like the shuttles were straining against the electronic restraint system that kept them in place; indicating that the Von Braun was out of control. His observation was confirmed a moment later when with a lurch the shuttle they were in started sliding across the floor. “[B]Jeff![/B]” Natalia screamed in warning, he didn’t bother to respond, he could see it for himself. The Von Braun was already entering the atmosphere of the planet they had been on a collision course for. More than anything he wanted to find a way out in order to figure out what the hell Samantha was up to, but they had to survive the crash first. Natalia was already trying to get strapped into one of the seats of the shuttle and Jeff abandoned watching what was up in order assist her. He had barely managed to get strapped in when the entire shuttle was sent rolling before it crashed heavily into something, knocking the breath out of him as well as Natalia who was hanging on tightly to the armrests of the chairs. Then, what could only be the ship itself hitting the planet in question, caused the entire thing to shudder horribly as a terrible roar filled the inside of the tiny shuttle. To their horror the roof of the shuttle was ripped clean off before with a final shudder everything seemed to come to a halt. Both of them waited for what seemed like forever as smoke obscured their view of the outside. When it finally cleared a bit, both of them couldn’t help but start in surprise. The skyline of wherever they had crashed was clearly visible. Jeff started undoing the straps to his seat. “[B]Oh my God.[/B]” Natalia choked. Jeff looked back up to see that the smoke had cleared even further to reveal that a huge section of the ship itself had been torn off. It looked like they were still inside the actual ship, but to have suffered that kind of damage upon entry… chances were, they were stuck on this world for good. “[B]Come on.[/B]” Jeff started helping Natalia. “[B]You’re not hurt are you?[/B]” She shook her head. “[B]I think I’m fine,[/B]” She smiled wanly, “[B]other than some bruises. What about you?[/B]” “[B]Same.[/B]” Jeff took a moment to check his sidearm before then attempting to raise anyone on the Von Braun. Other than some static, his receiver seemed to be dead. He looked around until he found the best spot for them to crawl out. The ship had landed and was resting on a slant, not enough to prevent walking, but enough that it made standing upright difficult. He looked around some more. It seemed like most of the shuttles had been lost when part of the hull had been ripped off. One of the ones up against the wall caught his attention since unlike the others, the power was clearly on. Without hesitation he drew his sidearm. “[B]What’s the matter?[/B]” Natalia said in hushed tones. “[B]The only shuttles that had been turned on was the one we were in and the one Samantha was going to use.[/B]” He pushed her gently back until she was behind him. “[B]I have to see if she survived or not.[/B]” He glanced back at Natalia who merely nodded briefly. But when they went to check, all they found was part of Samantha's jacket that had caught on one of the seats and ripped off. Jeff looked further to find that the emergency supplies on the shuttle were gone. There were no signs that it had been used. If Samantha had been hurt and used any of the supplies, she had kept all of the wrappers. “[B]Great, just great.[/B]” He groaned once they were done checking. “[B]Unless this is the only area of the Von Braun that is damaged, were stuck here, with someone who wants everyone dead.[/B]” He slammed his fist into the wall of the shuttle. This was not what he had signed up for. “[B]Jeff.[/B]” He looked over to Natalia who was so far handling things rather well. “[B]What should we do?[/B]” She was shaking a bit, holding back what looked like fear to him. Not that he blamed her, he could feel the same urge to panic as well. He ruthlessly crushed it. “[B]We need to help the passengers, but what should we do about her?[/B]” “[B]Let’s see what’s going on first.[/B]” He finally said. “[B]We don't know which way she went anyway and if we’re lucky, she’ll have found a shuttle that’s working and left.[/B]” “[B]And if we’re not?[/B]” “[B]We’ll worry about that when and if it happens.[/B]” He said firmly. He motioned for her to follow him out of the shuttle. More than anything he wanted to track down Samantha, but at the moment, the ship and passengers had to come first. But if he came across her… he clenched his fists in anger, he’d get some answers as to what the hell was going on.[/SIZE]

[Aaryanna]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar16_guest.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] Katelyn was at the emergency access point, but other than people arguing over what to do and what seemed like chaos that the ships staff was failing to control, no one was trying or even starting to direct people to the evacuation shuttles. [I]What are they waiting for? We need to get on the shuttles already. [/I] She was sorely tempted to ditch the group of people and head there herself. Katelyn did know where the shuttles were located after all; she had seen them during her tours of the ship when the voyage first began. A flash of long wavy curly hair caught her attention when she saw the passenger Ilona making her way through the crowd of people. Even in an emergency, she moved with the same unhurried grace. [I]This is stupid, if they?re not going to actually evacuate us, I?m going to head back to my quarters.[/I] Katelyn made for the lifts, working her way through the press of people heading the other direction. She was almost there when the ship shook violently. Then a voice came over the Von Braun?s loudspeakers: [INDENT][SIZE="1"]WARNING, COLLISION IMMINENT. IF SEATED, USE THE BRACE POSITION. ENSURE ALL HATCHES ARE LOCKED AND SECURE. DO NOT STAND UP. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ROOM. COLLISION IMMINENT. BRACE FOR IMPACT.[/SIZE][/INDENT] [I]What the hell?[/I] She barely had time to register what had been said when the ship lurched sideways, turning the floor into a steep angle. She couldn?t hear herself over the other passengers screams as she tumbled into one of the emergency stairways near the lift. The only thing she could do was barely manage to grab one of the railings on the stairs to keep from slamming into the wall. She hung on as tightly as she could, not even realizing that she was screaming as the ship continued to shake violently, sending other less fortunate passengers flying. Katelyn could feel her grip starting to loosen and she clung on tighter. If she lost her grip? Katelyn bit her lower lip as she closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to hide from the horrible images of people being killed as they slammed into parts of the interior of the ship along with debris that was being tossed into the air. She couldn?t stop herself from hearing the terrible sounds. ?[B]How can this be happening?[/B]? Then just when she thought she couldn?t hang on anymore, the ship lurched again and she found herself held fast against the railing and wall, unable to move against the force pinning her down. She was saved, if only for a brief moment. A horrible screech filled the air and she opened her eyes to see that part of the dome to the ship itself was breaking off. She clutched the railing more tightly without even realizing it. ?[B]Oh my hell.[/B]? She whispered, too horrified to look away as debris, passengers and anything close to the opening was blown out. The screams of people as they were literally lifted up and blown out through the hole was sickening. If not for being in the stair well, she too would have been affected. Katelyn could feel the air tugging at her tunic and hair, but other than to cause them to billow about, it wasn?t enough to rip her from her spot. She started to turn away and then stopped when she saw Ilona come into view. Oddly, she wasn?t screaming as the violent force of the air dragged her towards the opening. It was more like she had seen what was going to happen and was resigned to it. Then, as if caught in a moment of time, everything seemed to freeze. Puzzled, Katelyn relaxed her grip slightly and then was sent head over heels down the stairs to slam face first into the floor when another violent tremor shook the ship. She lay there, on the slanting floor, too dazed to move. The sound of things hitting the floor around her was deafening and then, just as suddenly as it has started, it was over. Katelyn struggled to sit up. The ship was resting at a slant and a quick look up showed a huge hole in the dome, but instead of stars, she was seeing an oddly colored sky. The interior was a complete disaster. Bodies and debris was all over the place, including what looked like parts of? She choked and looked away, fighting the urge to hurl right then and there. [I]There has to be people who survived.[/I] She thought grimly. Doing her best to ignore the smoke and smells she didn?t want to think about, she staggered to her feet. Other than some bruises and aches, she seemed to be okay. Katelyn had only taken a handful of steps when she realized she was looking at Ilona lying on her back on the deck. ?[B]Ilona.?[/B] She started to say and then stopped. Her body looked fine and her expression with her eyes closed and her hair spread out on the deck looked fine, but the rapidly spreading crimson stain that flowed down the deck made it clear that she was not. Katelyn shivered as she walked over to check, careful to avoid the blood. She reached down and checked her pulse. There was none, just as she wasn?t breathing either. She stood up and backed away. Katelyn wasn?t going to turn her over and check, but it was obvious that the back of her head must have caved in when she hit the deck. Or something like that since other than the blood and the fact that she wasn?t breathing, she looked as if she was merely sleeping. She couldn?t stop the tears that started flowing down her cheeks. Now what was she supposed to do? Katelyn just stood there for the longest time before the cries of people in pain dragged her back to reality. Without even thinking about it, she turned and headed for the closest one.

[Aaryanna_Mom]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]
Physically Natalia felt fine other than some aches and bruises that were forming. Mentally however, she wasn?t so sure, no matter how hard she tried; she could still the faint shivers and feelings of fear. Unless they managed to find a way to contact Earth, they were stuck on the planet they had crash landed on. Everywhere they went, the damage to the ship was extensive. There seemed to be some survivors but for the most part it was as if the ship was a giant tomb.

She was right behind Jeff when he suddenly came to a halt. His startled look alarmed her to no end. ?[B]What is it? What?s wrong?[/B]?

?[B]I know where she is.[/B]?

?[B]Samantha?[/B]?

He nodded. ?[B]If you think about it she has to have headed for that sealed deck that no one seems to know anything about.[/B]?

Natalia went cold all over. Of course, where else would she be? She had been rambling on about some mission and the Shirota strain. Why else would an entire deck be sealed if it didn?t hold whatever was necessary for her to complete that mission?

?[B]Oh my God, so that?s what this trip was for.[/B]? Natalia could stop herself form shaking. ?[B]We have to stop her![/B]? She didn?t know what was in that deck, but it could only be some type of weapon. It was all perfectly clear in her mind. The ship hadn?t malfunctioned; they were off course on purpose. She jumped when Jeff turned and gripped both of her shoulders.

?[B]Stop her, what are you talking about?[/B]? He realized that he was shaking her a bit and let go. ?[B]We don?t even know what her mission is.[/B]?

?[B]Yes we do, at least some of us do.[/B]? She took everything she had learned at the outpost and quickly condensed it into a short summary. She fought the urge to laugh hysterically over the irony of her manager meetings and the ability to quickly recant something coming in handy.

?[B]Are you trying to tell me that all those conspiracy theories about the Great Disaster are actually true?[/B]? His expression wavered between accepting and outright dismissing it.

?[B]I don?t know, but I do know what I saw and you heard what she said.[/B]? Natalia said grimly. ?[B]Obviously she believed it and if you think about it, how do you sneak a weapon capable of destroying a threat to the human race into their borders?[/B]?

?[B]You use a decoy?[/B]? He grimaced in distaste. ?[B]I hope to hell you?re wrong.[/B]?

?[B]That deck is more than big enough to hold something and at this point I doubt its luggage or spare parts.[/B]? Natalia said icily. ?[B]Also, even if she?s not heading there, if there is some form of weapon, what if it?s been damaged by the crash?[/B]?

?[B]Hell![/B]? He turned and started running and then frowned at Natalia when he saw she was coming along. ?[B]What are you doing? You?re not even armed. Go and help the passengers.[/B]?

?[B]I don?t need to be armed to help you by keeping watch.[/B]? Natalia reached out and grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to stop. ?[B]If you rush in there and she sees you first? Do you really think she wouldn?t hesitate to shoot you in the back?[/B]?

?[B]I can?t let you?[/B]?

?[B]Yes you can,[/B]? Natalia tried to smile and failed. ?[B]I?ll follow along anyway.[/B]? She pointed out. Training or not, she was observant and unless he found some of the ship?s security to help him out?

?[B]Fine, but you have to do as I tell you, no questions asked.[/B]? He gave her a long hard look.

Natalia nodded. ?[B]Understood.[/B]?

[DeLarge]

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[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium]Pain blurred Alex's vision as he regained consciousness. He only vaguely remembered what had happened - he recalled a siren and some kind of warning message, although he hadn't been paying too much attention. All he could see was dust and debris scattered across the room, and something red crossing his vision.

[B]"Jamie?" [/B]he called out across the room, his voice weak against the crunch of metal, the creak of supports. His friend was nowhere to be found - although admittedly, Alex couldn't remember what he had been doing before the incident. He'd gotten back to the ship from the Outpost, gone for a drink to calm his nerves, then he must have come back to his room.

The Outpost...something happened at the Outpost...something big...

He shifted a hand up to his forehead, and immediately jolts of pain ran through his body, and his arm failed to move when told to. He grimaced, and moved his head slightly to see what had happened. The sight which greeted him elicited a gasp of surprise, and a cry of pain.

His arm was hanging loose from it's socket, and was twisted in a number of positions that would have been impossible if the limb was in one piece. From one angle, he could see a shard of stark white bone protruding from the skin, and blood was smeared all the way up his arm and across his t-shirt.

He pulled the other arm up, and checked it - it seemed fine, so he ran it across his forehead, which elicited another gasp of pain. Gingerly, he ran his fingers across, and found a long, fairly deep gash across his forehead, which was oozing blood steadily. He checked his face, and felt something warm and wet soaking one side, which on closer inspection turned out to be more blood.

With as much effort as he could put in, and with only one arm, he reached down and tore a section from his t-shirt, which was already fairly ragged, folded it up, and pressed it against the gash in his head, to try and stem the blood flow.

As his senses began to gradually return to him, he felt sharp points of pain across various places on the rest of his body, and knew he must have been pretty banged up. Carefully and very slowly, he lifted himself into a seated position, not putting any kind of pressure on his broken arm. He felt light-headed as he hauled himself upright, but managed to keep a hold of his consciousness, fighting through the haze of stars and dots that clouded his vision.

[B]"Jamie?" [/B]he called out again, a little louder this time, [B]"Jamie? What happened?"

[/B]No reply came but the increased creaking of unstable metal structures. He felt a chill run down his spine, and looked up to see if he could find the source of the cold.

[B]"Oh my God," [/B]he whispered as he tilted his head. The hull of the ship had been torn open, exposing Alex's room to the bizarre landscape of what he could only assume was another planet. Cold air rushed in, chilling Alex's bare skin.

A crash...

That's it...

---

[B][I]"I'm going to the bar, Jamie," [/I][/B][I]said Alex, rubbing his eyes, [B]"Will you try to deal with those photographs?"

"Sure thing, Alex. I just need to go think about what I can do," [/B]replied Jamie, rushing off, clutching his camera tightly to his chest.

The bar was almost entirely empty, the complete opposite of his first night aboard the ship. He took a seat in the corner and ordered as large a glass of whisky with as much ice as he could possibly get, then sat and drained it, following it with two more. The stress, along with most other feelings, began to fade away.

[B]"You really shouldn't be considering using those photos," [/B]came an unfamiliar voice from nearby.

[B]"Sorry? What business is it of yours?" [/B]replied Alex, slurring a little through the alcoholic haze.

[B]"I'm just...an interested party. And I know for a fact those photos will cause nothing but trouble unless they are destroyed."

"Unless you're buying, then I don't want to waste my time hearing about your opinions on what I can and can't do with my own private property. Night," [/B]said Alex, getting up to leave.

[B]"You're not going anywhere," [/B]said the voice, and Alex began to sway as the room began to spin. He looked down at his glass, in which the remains of his whisky was fizzing with something that wasn't supposed to go in whisky.

[B]"You son of a bit..." [/B]Alex mumbled as he collapsed to the floor...

---
[/I][/FONT]
[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium]So that was it...someone had drugged him and put him back in his own room. He hauled himself to his feet and staggered over to the wardrobe, wrenching the door open with his good arm, only to find it full of women's clothes...

This wasn't his room - someone had put him in an entirely different room. He looked at the map that told the location of all the fire exits, and discovered that he was over the opposite side of the ship to where he should have been.

But why?

Then it hit him: so he was on the side of the ship that impact had happened - whoever it was had tried to kill him by placing him on the side of the ship that it landed on - circuitous, admittedly, but it cuts out any kind of blame on their part.

But that would mean that someone knew the ship was going to crash before it did. It was becoming far too sinister already.

Alex looked around the room, and found his leather jacket lying just a few feet away from where he had been, a little torn but not much the worse for wear. He slipped it on, leaving his broken arm out of the sleeve, then grabbed the bedsheet and tore a section off, tying it, with some difficulty and a lot of pain, around his neck and under his broken arm, using it as a rudimentary sling.

[B]"Right, Alex," [/B]he whispered to himself, [B]"Time for that keen journalistic instinct to kick back in." [/B]He took a few deep breaths and clambered up through the gap in the hull, avoiding the jagged metal edges, and emerged on the new planet...
[/FONT]
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[Sabrina]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] It took Viktor a moment to remember where he was. The back of his head was throbbing and he reached up, pulling his right hand free of a tangle of arms that weren?t his own? [I]What the heck?[/I] He was wedged into the corner of the closet, covered in all the clothing and personal effects that had come lose when the ship? that?s right, he vaguely recalled being tossed about when the ship had hit something and then? nothing. Other than the growing headache, he seemed to be fine, though he could feel twinges that told him he had either pulled muscles or had bruises. Misha was sprawled on the floor next to him, clothing covering all of him except for his lower legs and his arms which by their position indicated he was resting on his left side. ?[B]Misha,[/B]? he shifted to the right carefully since the ship was at a slight angle. ?[B]Misha,[/B]? He repeated a bit more forcefully as he grasped the older man?s hands in his. Something felt wrong and a chill ran down his spine. He reached for the coat that was covering him and pulled it back. ?[B]I?m sorry Misha,[/B]? He pulled one of the jackets free and then carefully laid it over him, offering a prayer as he did so. It wasn?t too hard to guess what had to have happened. The impact had resulted in him being tossed into the wall behind him where Misha, who had been sitting across from him, must have also been tossed head first. The impact that had knocked him out must have been what broke Misha's neck, killing him. He reached up and wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes and then stood up. The door to the closet was warped from the crash but he managed to force it open enough to finally slip out. Their quarters were a disaster, with furniture and stuff all over the place. Viktor could hear the sounds of what had to be the crew searching for survivors. He scrambled over the mess, pausing at the sight of one of the bags they had stuffed emergency care kits into. It was scrunched up next to the door. He grabbed it and then worked on getting the door open. There was clearly no power to speak of and in the end, only gravity seemed to help as he got it to open enough to let him out. The sight that met his eyes was hard to believe. The holograms that had portrayed a fake sky and mountains was gone, a catacomb of metal beams in its place. There was debris scattered all over the place and many of the homes that had served as quarters had been crushed by what looked like parts of the ships hull. The hole in the dome was enormous. He figured that it must have broken up into smaller parts before falling down. They were still big enough to wreak havoc. He could see a few people struggling to help others, but his attention kept wandering back to the open hole in the very dome of the ship itself. For him to be able to breathe, meant that they had to have landed on a planet with an atmosphere. But for the ship to be that damaged?[I] That can?t be good.[/I] [I]Now what do I do?[/I] He could see personnel in uniform working though the damaged homes, but there were so few of them. Other than some basics, he didn?t know much about first aid. There was nothing they could do for Misha, helping those who had survived would come first. ?[B]Sir.[/B]? He turned to see who it was. Though wearing the uniform of a member of the crew, she couldn't have been much older than eighteen. Her expression was strained as she kept herself calm. ?[B]If you?re not hurt, they?re having everyone gather in the casino area.[/B]? ?[B]Is there nothing I can do here?[/B]? She shook her head. ?[B]Alright,[/B]? He went around her and headed for the emergency stairs. If there was nothing he could do here, perhaps there would be something he could help with elsewhere. For now he was feeling oddly calm and he wondered how long that would last.

[Shy]

[center][img]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Arichan16/arthur.jpg[/img][/center] There was a brief moment of peace before the impact. As Arthur and Zahir embraced, Arthur felt at ease for the first time in ages. Zahir’s soft lips were pressed against his ear, trying to whisper… [i]something[/i]. The sound of reentry was deafening; whatever it was, much like so much else, the words were lost in reentry. Arthur closed his eyes as the pain overtook his body. Suddenly the ship began to tremble violently, and the two were once thrown across the room. Moments passed, perhaps hours, before Arthur awoke. With the ship overturned, the walls were not acting as floors. He was strewn across one of them, some light debris burying his legs. The young man was badly bruised, but nothing felt like it was broken. “[b]Zee… Zahir..?[/b]” Arthur slowly stood up, staring out at the scene before him. A handful of the shuttles were still secured to the ship, many of them right above his head, while many more had come loose during the impact. Zahir, Samantha, nor anyone were in sight. All Arthur could see around him was devastation and corpses in the smoke-filled quarters. Although he was not a religious man, Arthur prayed that Zahir’s body was not among the wreckage. “[b]Zahir![/b]” he shouted. No response. “[b]ZAHIR![/b]” He grabbed a tattered piece of cloth from the ground and placed it over his mouth. It was becoming difficult to see, and even more difficult to breathe. Arthur knew the components of the Von Braun well enough to know that several of advanced polymers designed for the ship would become toxic if ignited. Worse yet, the vast oxygen reserves were bound to erupt any minute. He braced himself against the wall, and slowly groped his way across the wreckage. As Arthur walked he stumbled across his pistol, lying abandoned on the ground. He bent over to grab it when suddenly a surge of pain shot through his head. In an instant he collapsed to the ground, his throat clenched up, and he began to tremble violently. Arthur had experienced great pain in his life, but never before had it been this severe. [i]How long have I been unconscious?[/i] he thought to himself, immediately realizing that he needed to find his quarters and his belongings at once. After several moments the pain subsided, and Arthur slowly he came to his feet. No doubt the next attack would be even worse. Finding Zahir was a priority, but if he continued to experience these withdrawals he would be of no value to anyone.

[Darren]

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[SIZE="1"]Jamie awoke suddenly, pain running down his back. [I]What happened?[/I] He thought.

He was lying on his side. He was on top of something. He tried to move, but his left arm wouldn't respond. [I]What's going on here?[/I] He could faintly hear screams, as though someone was speaking through a tunnel. [I]How did I get here?[/I]

Jamie began hyperventilating, taking quick and panicked breaths. It was accompanied by sharp twinges on his left rib cage. When he moved he saw that he landed directly on his camera. [I]That explains the pain.[/I] He tried to sit up, but his head was swimming. Instead, he ended up rolling onto his back, freeing his left arm, which seemed to be dislocated. Jamie threw off his broken camera and closed his eyes, listening to the strange sounds that were slowly changing into something comprehensible.

[B]"Are you okay?"[/B] The words were very hard to make out and he couldn't tell if whoever spoke them was male or female.

Jamie opened his eyes a tiny bit. He was so exhausted. He wanted to sleep more than anything. Even a simple task of opening his eyes made him feel like his head was going to explode. The image in front of him took forever to come into focus, but he finally recognized it as a doctor.

[B]"Can you sit up?"[/B] He asked.

[I]No, are you kidding me?[/I] Jamie's mental response was agitated, but he tried anyway. With the man's help, he seemed to be able to do it. He closed his eyes again, not able to handle the trace of colors that followed his eyesight, as though everything was becoming clear a few seconds late. [B]"I'm going to throw up."[/B]

[B]"You may have a concussion. Do you think you can stand up?"[/B] the doctor asked.

[I]No shit.[/I] He thought. Jamie noted how agitated he was, but more than anything he just wanted to sleep and maybe figure out what had happened.

[B]"Miss,"[/B] the man said, motioning to someone [B]"Do you think you can watch him. Make sure he doesn't fall asleep?"[/B]

The man left. Jamie had no idea why. He hadn't even given him a proper examination. A new shoulder appeared for Jamie to rest on.

[B]"Mr. King, can you hear me?"[/B] The voice sounded familiar but the reporter couldn't place it to anyone he had met. [B]"Jamie, it's me, Katelyn."[/B]

[I]Katelyn from the Von Braun?[/I] Suddenly, everything came into focus. All of his sense were in high alert. He remembered that after he saved three copies of the pictures from the outpost on three portable hard drives, he had heard the warning and went to the emergency access point. It was crowded and then everything got fuzzy. He remembered seeing Ilona, hearing a lot of screams, blackness...

Jamie opened his eyes to see the ground littered with the bodies of the Von Braun passengers. He looked all around him, hoping to find Ilona. He remembered seeing her. She had to be around her somewhere. Just a few feet behind Katelyn, she was lying there, a pool of blood slowly forming around her head.

The reporter stood up too fast, Katelyn trying her best to support him considering their weight difference. His head was spinning and just like he predicted, he turned to the side and threw up.

Everything was still in a haze, but he knew that he had to find Alex. But first...

[B]"Take this."[/B] Jamie reached into his pocket for one of the three flash drives that he had made. He shoved it into Katelyn's hands before stumbling off in the direction of the bar. No doubt the girl had no idea what was on it, but Jamie had the intention of giving her a copy long ago. Perhaps it was the concussion that made him forget to tell her what was on it, but he needed to find his partner. He needed to make sure Alex was okay.
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[James]

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img][/center] Zahir's eyes opened slowly. It took great effort to open them; all he wanted to do was sleep. Recent days had been so traumatic and frenzied that he had only survived on adrenaline - save for a brief moment of peace in Arthur's room. Fatigue had caught up with him and was wearing down on his muscles and bones. The air was thick with dust and smoke. Zahir blinked weakly, but his vision did not improve. His body felt numb. For a moment he wondered if the impact had caused him serious damage. He tried to move his feet; it was slow and difficult, but they moved. He could feel them. [i]Thank god,[/i] he thought. With his hands against the floor, Zahir propped himself up carefully. This did not help a great deal, as he still found it difficult to get his bearings. As his eyes adjusted, Zahir noticed that the entire hangar looked as though it had caved in. Shuttles lay strewn about as though they were toys. Shattered glass blanketed twisted pylons and exhaust vents had broken open, spewing steam from deep within the bowels of the ship. 'Arthur...' Zahir spun around, momentarily forgetting his pain and exhaustion. 'Arthur!' he called. There was no answer. As his eyes traveled the walls and ceiling, it appeared that he'd been thrown well across the hangar. Enormous mountains of debris separated him from the spot where he had curled up under Arthur's protective arms. His knees almost gave up as he attempted to stand, but he was determined to force them to work. It couldn't end like this. [center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8279/jamiekingse9.jpg[/img] [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/img][/center] Zahir walked slowly, his hand running along the cool metallic wall in the hallway. He was lucky to be able to leave the hangar at all, but the entrance nearest him was still accessible. It was not where he'd first entered with Arthur, but he tried as best he could to navigate along the hall, back to the main lobby. As he walked, Zahir considered himself lucky. There may very well have been some kind of internal damage that he wasn't aware of, but he did not seem to have any broken bones. He was bruised and had some grazes and cuts to his forehead and arms, but for the most part, he felt healthy enough. His vision was still somewhat blurred and his head was throbbing - perhaps he had concussion from hitting the floor - but at least, he thought, he had not died. When the lobby finally came into view, Zahir was not prepared for what he saw. A sea of bodies littered the enormous lobby. Paperwork from the reception desks had flown everywhere. Lights had smashed and some flickered pathetically, as their final gasps of life ebbed away. Some people had obviously survived and were attempting to pick themselves up. The ship's doctor was moving from body to body, checking pulses and directing what was left of the ship's staff in the area. There were perhaps a handful of people left alive in that lobby, out of the hundreds he'd seen only moments earlier. Zahir noticed two people in particular. A young woman and a tall man with glasses. He recognized them; they had been on the Outpost. He thought it strange that upon seeing these people - whom he could only describe as "acquaintances" - his entire body filled with a sense of warmth. He did not genuinely know these two passengers and yet, their somewhat familiar faces seemed to dull the surrounding chaos. Zahir stumbled through the lobby, past the bodies, trying as hard as possible not to look down. The man was giving something to the woman, just as her head turned. When she saw Zahir, she smiled. 'Katelyn?' Zahir suddenly felt foolish. [i]Of course[/i] he knew her name, but somehow he felt like he had not seen her in years. Katelyn smiled faintly and opened her arms. They embraced as though they were siblings. Zahir buried his face in Katelyn's hair. They could feel each others tears. 'I haven't seen Arthur,' Katelyn whispered, as if predicting Zahir's question. He just nodded. 'He's a survivor, I'm sure he'll be around somewhere.' As they broke apart, Zahir tried as hard as possible to smile. 'Thank you,' he said. 'It's good to see a friendly face.' Katelyn nodded. She gestured toward the man, who held out his hand. Zahir shook it and cocked his head unintentionally. 'Jamie,' said the man. 'Jamie King. We only met briefly, out there on the Outpost. I was taking snaps of those things in the lab...' 'Oh, of course,' replied Zahir. 'I'm sorry, I feel so...' Jamie shook his head. 'Don't worry. You're allowed to be a bit confused right now.' Katelyn looked at both men and then glanced around the lobby. Every time her eyes came close to the floor, they immediately snapped up again. 'What do we do now?' she asked, as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. There was a matter-of-fact tone in her voice that Zahir felt reassuring. 'Well, I guess we all have people to find first,' said Jamie. 'I've got to find Alex, you've got to find Viktor and...' 'I must find Arthur,' said Zahir. Jamie straightened his shirt. 'Perhaps we should split up and then meet back here?' 'Split up?' Katelyn seemed uncomfortable with the idea. Under the circumstances, Zahir wondered if it would be more traumatic to split up or whether it'd be better to simply stay together. 'Er, well, maybe we can look together,' said Jamie. 'But who would be closest to us?' 'I'm sure Viktor would have been headed for the lobby here,' replied Katelyn. 'He can't be far away.' Jamie nodded. 'And Alex...the last time I saw him was at the bar...' He scratched his head. 'This is not going to work,' said Zahir. 'We need another way. Do you guys still have your passenger tags on you?' Katelyn and Jamie looked at each other. 'Oh, er, yes,' Jamie produced his tag. 'We're supposed to keep them on so that we can access the areas we've paid for on our tickets... so every passenger should have one.' 'Exactly,' said Zahir. His earlier fuzziness seemed to be disappearing now. Katelyn looked over toward the nearest reception desk. 'So if any of those computers are still working, maybe we can zero in on the passenger tags...' '...and find out where the others are,' muttered Jamie. 'It's certainly possible.' 'We don't have any time to lose, in that case,' said Katelyn. 'C'mon, let's try to find the others.' [i]'What then?'[/i] thought Zahir. [i]'We find the others and then what? We've crash landed god knows where! The air outside may not even be breathable...we'd have to live on whatever's left in the Von Braun's kitchens and who knows how long that'll last us.'[/i] Zahir shook his head. He had to avoid thinking too much. There had to be a way out of this mess. Even if one single shuttle was still functioning, it might be possible to leave. For now, though, he just wanted to see Arthur again. Part of him wondered if Arthur had survived, but he did not want to go down that path..

[Horendithas]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8936/avatar21crewxq4.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER][SIZE="1"] [I]I must be an idiot for letting her come along.[/I] Jeff thought as he hurried down one of the many corridors of the Von Braun. He didn?t give Natalia any slack, moving as quickly as possible. He didn?t dare trust the lifts after a crash like that and even though they were going down, the odd slant and sheer number of stairs had even him feeling a tiny bit winded when they finally got to the main hallway that lead to the sealed deck. He stopped running and paused to catch his breath, and to let his eyes adjust. Only the emergency lighting was working and unlike the other areas of the ship, the hallway was dimly lit. No one ever came down here, normally the door to the stairs was locked, but either Samantha had opened them or the crash had disabled the locks. ?[B]Do you think she?s still here?[/B]? Natalia had taken the moment to sit down and take a breather too. Jeff was a little surprised that she had managed to keep up, most civilians couldn?t. ?[B]If the lifts are working she might have left already,[/B]? He watched the hallway for movement. ?[B]But with the main power out, I doubt it.[/B]? He looked at her briefly; the dim red glow couldn?t hide how frightened she looked. ?[B]You should go back,[/B]? Jeff turned his attention back to the hallway. ?[B]I can?t guarantee your safety.[/B]? For all he knew they were the only one?s alive. They were relatively unharmed, but they had had the benefit of being in the shuttle when the ship crashed. It had taken the brunt of the damage instead of them. It bothered him that he had heard and seen nothing since they had left the shuttle bay and he still couldn?t raise anyone on his headset. Either very few people had survived or the crew had their hands full tending to the passengers. The major should have been in the area if she had survived the crash, if she hadn't left to go and assist passengers that is. Since they hadn?t seen any bodies he was inclined to believe that she had. That didn?t help them any though. With a start he realized that he was looking at open doors at the end of the corridor. [I] Damn.[/I] He looked back at Natalia who was still breathing hard. ?[B]I?m going with you,[/B]? She insisted between breathes as she stood back up. Natalia let go of the railing to the stairs and composed herself. ?[B]You haven?t found any security.[/B]? She pointed out. Jeff just nodded, ?[B]It looks like we were right.[/B]? He said softly, he pointed at the open doors, ?[B]Crash or not they shouldn?t have opened on their own.[/B]? He started down the hallway, treading as quietly as possible. Natalia was right behind him, clinging to his left sleeve without even thinking about it. He could feel her shivering and he stopped to look down at her hand. She uttered a hasty apology and let go. Jeff looked back up and nodded briefly before turning back to continue towards the open doors. He motioned with his free hand for her to stay back while he cautiously surveyed the room, keeping most of his body out of view. Like the hallway, the emergency lights were on, further proving that someone was either in the room or had been. There were massive canisters lying on metal mounts, shaped like a horseshoe, that were fastened to the deck. Each one was easily fifty feet long and approximately thirty feet in diameter. They ran horizontal to the doors, making it impossible to see if anyone was between them as they were all taller than he was. He could see a dozen of them and he could see what looked like end of a bit of letters that ran down the sides of each canister. The rest of the mysterious deck may have well been in darkness as he couldn?t see anything further in with any form of clarity; the lighting was too poor for that. Jeff cautiously moved into the room, angling to the left as he followed the end of the row of canisters, his weapon drawn. A quick glance around the edge showed that no one was there. The letters RSK AMT, DMG CTRL, CBT AVD, PLASURV ran along the side in bright red. ?[B]I wonder if they hold that Shirota Strain she was talking about.[/B]? Natalia said quietly even as she moved down the aisle a bit to take a look at the letters. "[B]Do you know what this stands for?[/B]" Jeff shook his head. ?[B]Stay here.[/B]? He waited for her to nod before moving to check the rest of the mysterious deck. He wanted to see if there was anything further back in the massive room. If they were lucky, Samantha would already be gone. He was almost to the end of row of massive canisters when a shot rang out a split second before something hard slammed into his right shoulder, sending him backwards into the canister behind him. He lost his gun and he heard it as it hit the floor and slid away. He ignored the pain as he looked frantically for her and then froze when he saw her move just enough out of the shadows between the canisters on the other side of the room, her gun trained on him. ?[B]Give me one good reason why I shouldn?t kill you here and now.[/B]? Her eyes narrowed and she continued before he could answer, speaking loud and clear. ?[B]Stop hiding Natalia or I?ll blow his head off next.[/B]? Jeff winced when he heard the sound of Natalia?s footsteps coming up behind him. He could feel blood running down his chest from where Samantha had shot him in the shoulder. He was already feeling a bit faint and he leaned back against the canister for support. ?[B]What?s stopping you[/B]?? Natalia?s voice sounded strained. ?[B]Clearly you don?t give a damn about what happens to anyone on the Von Braun.[/B]? ?[B]Don?t tempt me.[/B]? Samantha snapped, she reached into her pocket and pulled out two sets of metal cuffs. ?[B]Sit down.[/B]? She ordered. ?[B]No.[/B]? Natalia objected. Samantha?s eyes hardened and the gun lifted a tad, Jeff interjected. ?[B]Just do it Natalia.[/B]? ?[B]Yes, listen to him, I won?t repeat myself.[/B]? Jeff had seen that look before; there would be no talking to her at this point. Her plans, whatever they were, had gone wrong. She was even more dangerous than before and he cursed himself for allowing Natalia to come along. He reached over with his left arm and pull Natalia over to sit on the floor next to him. He caught the cuffs with his left hand when Samantha tossed them to him. ?[B]Your keys.[/B]? She held out her left hand, palm up. Jeff didn?t argue, he just reached into his pockets and fished them out before tossing them over. The whole thing made no sense. [I]Why is she bothering with this?[/I] Natalia started to object again and he hushed her, telling her to do as told when ordered to fasten him and then herself to the support. The metal mounts instead of being solid, had small round openings along the outer edge. It took Natalia little time to first fasten his left wrist to the support and then her own right wrist. ?[B]Why?[/B]? Natalia asked in a small voice when she was done. ?[B]Explanation time is over,[/B]? Samantha said coldly. Without another word she walked over to where Jeff?s gun was, bent over and retrieved it. Then she tucked it into her pocket before leaving and closing the doors behind her. "[B]I don't understand, why didn't she kill us?[/B]" Natalia asked once the sound of Samantha's footsteps had faded. Jeff started to shrug and thought better of it. "[B]I'm not sure if I want to know why,[/B]" He grimaced in pain when he tried to shift and get a little more comfortable. Natalia jerked on the cuff with her right hand, the metal rattling as she got up on her knees. "[B]Never mind that, we need to do something about your shoulder.[/B]" She looked around and then finally settled on the lightweight vest she was wearing over her blouse. She shrugged out of one side and then used her free hand to rip the other to get it free. She placed one end in his left hand. "[B]Hold on to this.[/B]" Jeff ignored the jolts of pain caused with each jerk she made as she tore the vest into smaller sections. Then he did his best to help her as she worked on finding a way to bandage him up. Neither one of them voiced the concern that they were possibly the only ones left. Or that if others had survived, they would have no reason to come down to the supposedly sealed deck. [/SIZE]

[Aaryanna]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8279/jamiekingse9.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] The others were all huddled around Katelyn as she tried to access the terminal at the reception desk just outside one of the now empty restaurants. She had certainly gotten plenty of experience using them since she was forever forgetting her passenger tag. ?[B]Most of the system seems to be offline.[/B]? She glanced at the others and then up briefly at the huge hole in the dome of the ship. ?[B]That or the sensors for monitoring the tags has been damaged in certain areas.[/B]? ?[B]So what parts of the ship are working?[/B]? Zahir asked as he leaned in to look at the screen. Three names were on display to the right, his, Katelyn?s and Jamie?s. On the left it indicated where they were located. Katelyn had searched for them first to see if it was even working. ?[B]I?m not sure,[/B]? Katelyn answered. ?[B]The error message there at the top of the screen doesn?t say.[/B]? She didn?t bother to explain, the others could see the red letters scrolling across the screen for themselves. All it indicated was that some of the system was offline and to check back later. It didn?t say which areas were actually offline. ?[B]Let me put the others names in.[/B]? She turned and with a few taps on the keyboard, pulled up the menu and started typing in the names. Jamie was being awfully quiet, but she imagined it was on account of the concussion the doctor said he had. She still didn?t know what was on the flash drive he had pressed into her hands. Since it was obvious he was still out of it, she had simply tucked it into one of her pockets for safekeeping. Once they knew more about was going on and when he was feeling better, then she?d ask him about it. Katelyn had entered the name of everyone who had been with them at the deep space out post and when she moved to hit enter, she flagged the option that would tell them if someone else was within twenty feet of the person they were searching for. Her fingers hovered over the enter button for a few moments and then she pressed enter and waited. The first two names flashed up on the screen, Alex and Arthur, their status listed as unknown. Her heart sank, even though she knew it only meant their tags were somewhere where the system wasn?t working. It didn't mean they were dead. She turned at the sound of Jamie?s voice. ?[B]Well so much for that. If only the system told you which areas weren?t working, it would make searching a whole lot easier.[/B]? She turned back as the other names started coming up. Katelyn felt both a thrill of relief and alarm when it indicated that Viktor was in that area. Just as it didn?t tell them what area?s weren?t working, it also didn?t say if the person was alive or not. The image of Ilona?s body flashed before her eyes and she struggled to repress a shiver. [I]Don?t be dead, please don?t be dead.[/I] She thought frantically. She didn?t know if she could stand to see even more corpses. [i]I am so tired of death,[/i] she thought wearily. First her parents and now this. [I]Why?[/I] All thoughts of her parents and even Viktor were forgotten for the moment when the next couple of names came up, Natalia and a Jefferson? [I]Isn?t that Samantha Wells personal security?[/I] She searched her memory and realized that it had to be. She and Viktor had sat next to them in the shuttle when it went over to the deep space outpost. But that was not what had her speechless, according to the system, both of them were in the restricted deck that no one knew anything about. [I]What the hell? How did they end up in there?[/I] She didn?t need to turn and look to know that the others were just as surprised as she was.

[Shy]

[center][img]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Arichan16/arthur.jpg[/img][/center] Arthur continued to tremble as he walked through the ruins of the Von Braun. He could not tell if it was the gases filling the ship’s hull that were distorting his vision, or if he was going blind. In fact, he wasn’t even sure if he was heading in the right direction. With no windows he could only rely on the safety maps scattered periodically throughout the ship, and even then it was impossible to know what levels were damaged. Although the gravity of the planet seemed comparable to Earth, his internal sense of direction was lost entirely. Between the crash and his increasingly desperate condition his internal sense of direction was lost entirely. It was then that Arthur had noticed a row of track lighting, still lit, lining the end of the corridor. He followed it closely until he came across a computer terminal. He entered a few keystrokes onto the video monitor, and before him a holographic projection of V.I.C.I., albeit an incomplete one, flashed before him. “[b]Welcome aboard the Von Braun…[/b]” It said in a cold, monotone voice, “”[b]Protocol: Guest query: Arthur Clarke. [i]Processing[/i]. How may I help you?[/b]” “[b]Where is the nearest emergency exit?[/b]” There was a moment of silence. V.I.C.I.’s image flickered in and out as the power seemed to be in short supply, “[b]Exits are sealed for restricted access only during flight. Please contact a steward for further instructions immediately in the case of an emergency.[/b]” Arthur slammed his fist against the terminal, “[b]Don’t you understand? We have crashed![/b]” “[b]Incomplete response: [i]Processing[/i]. Please contact a steward immediately for assistance.[/b]” It appeared to Arthur that even the Von Braun was unprepared for an impact. He had spent countless years working to undermine N.A.R.S.I.A.’s further exploits in space, but never had it occurred to him that others may be working towards the same goal. There was a possibility that it had been a freak accident Still, Samantha’s actions before the impact seemed to suggest something much more sinister. “[b][i]You... you… did this…?[/b][/i]” Suddenly he felt something brush his leg. Arthur immediately jumped back, and withdrew his pistol. He pointed it at his feet and instantly recognized who he saw. Alan Perez, the old colleague of his father’s, lie bleeding at the floor. He was barely conscious, but not in much better shape than Arthur. Debris from the impact must has smashed into his face, ad one side of had become completely raw. “[b]Terra Prime.... just like your father...[/b]” Arthur’s vision began to blur once again, and he felt an incredible headache overcome him. His grip of his weapon tightened, and he immediately pointed it down at Alan. His widened as he spoke. His voice quivered, “[b]…I didn’t do anything…[/b]” “[b]Yes you did! I know it![/b]” Alan said between a deep, bloody cough, “[b]You are just like your father. How could—[/b]” Arthur pulled the trigger. [center][img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [img]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Arichan16/arthur.jpg[/img] [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/img][/center] It took him only a moment to regain his composure, and he quickly worked his way deeper into the hall. After a moment he came to the end of it, marked by an enormous set of doors, each labeled with a biohazard symbol. With the emergency lights beginning to fail the automated doors were also powerless. He struggled for a moment, dropping his weapon momentarily to force one of them open. Arthur did not expect to see what he found within. Enormous canisters were lined along the halls, some of which had toppled over in the impact. Each one contained a strange set of chemical symbols, but aside from a few basic components he had no idea what much of it was. He wondered how much of it was medicinal, or whether they had been stored with some other purpose in mind. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a pair of familiar faces. Natalia from the casino and… [i]Jeff, was it?[/i] He thought that both of them had been evacuated in the shuttle; what were they doing down here, and why were they being restrained? Natalia immediately locked eyes with Arthur as he approached, “[b]Oh thank goodness! Please! You have to help us out of here![/b]” “[b]So we weren’t the only survivors after all,[/b]” Jeff added with a sigh of relief, “[b]Are you alright?[/b]” “[b]Oh my god look at how he’s bleeding.[/b]” Arthur looked down at his gray shirt, now covered with blood from his brief encounter with Alan. Arthur held tightly onto his weapon. Jeff leaned in to Natalia, “[b]I don’t think that is all his. Look at the weapon.[/b]” “[b]What have you done? Did you shoot someone?[/b]” Arthur began to tremble once again. He ran his fingers along his scalp as he bent over, “[b]I… I’m sorry…[/b]” “[b]There’s nothing to be sorry for. We need to get you medical attention,[/b]” Natalia replied, “[b][i]Oh Jeff, his face…[/i][/b]" Although Arthur could not see it, his dark skin was beginning to discolor across his scalp. Small patches of gray and white were appearing on his face, right above his left eye. “[b]My face?[/b]” Arthur paused for a moment, clearly disoriented, “[b]What is wrong with my face?[/b]” “[b]Dammit Arthur, snap out of it![/b]” Jeff narrowed his eyes, “[b]Please. You need to help us out of here![/b]” Silently, Arthur leaned in towards Jeff and began to pat him down. He reached into Jeff’s jacket pocket and removed his security pass before traipsing backwards. “[b]What are you doing?[/b]” '[b]I need your security clearance to use the exits.[/b]" "[b]You're abandoning us?[/b]" Natalia asked, stunned, "[b]You can't be serious![/b]" “[b]Samantha was right… I’m sorry…[/b]” Arthur shook his head as he stepped out to the corridor, “[b]N.A.R.S.I.A. is going to be looking for someone to blame, and so am I. I have too much to take care of before I give myself up to the authorities.[/b]”

[James]

[center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img][/center] [font=tahoma][b][i]Afghanistan, four years ago...[/b][/i] Zahir’s eyes opened to the sound of rustling nearby. Soft moonlight flooded in through the large opening in his bedroom wall. The small house was mudbrick with no glass, which allowed the gentle desert breeze into every corner of the room. As his eyes adjusted to the soft blue light, Zahir could barely make out a figure near the bed. Khalid was struggling with something heavy. ‘Damn this thing!’ he whispered under his breath in Arabic. Zahir sat up on his elbow and yawned. ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘Oh,’ Khalid turned around, apparently having not realized the noise he was making. ‘Sorry. Go back to sleep.’ ‘Too late, I’m awake now,’ replied Zahir croakily. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. ‘What are you doing up at this hour anyway?’ Khalid resumed the struggle with whatever he was wearing. It was difficult for Zahir to see in the dark; he could only hear the rustling of fabric and the occasional clip and un-clip of plastic. ‘If I tell you, you won’t let me sleep next to you anymore.’ ‘What? Don’t tell me… [i]Khali![/i] I thought that was all over now,’ replied Zahir angrily. ‘C’mon, Zee, you know why I have to do it. It won’t be over until we get our country back.’ Khalid turned away from Zahir again and attempted to adjust his clothing once more. ‘What the hell did I do to this thing? Ugh.’ Zahir sighed deeply. He understood Khalid’s reasoning, but the sacrifice did not seem worthwhile. During the day, Khalid had a regular job and behaved like a regular person. Yet during some nights, he was someone else entirely – slinking around town with a group of nameless strangers, doing things Zahir could not even imagine. It was political and Zahir knew that. Like many other young Afghans, he did not want his country to act merely as a State of the Republic. While Afghanistan had been engaged in war for many years, at least during those times Afghans fought under their own national flag. Now – in peace – they lived under the flag of a distant Republic, which bore little relevance to them. Zahir sympathized with those political groups who were pushing for independence and he even agreed with some of the more extreme groups, so long as they did not disrupt the lives of everyday Afghans. And yet, he could not bear this life. For weeks, he would sleep in Khalid’s arms. During these times, he was most happy. They may have lived in an ancient home with few conveniences – unlike their parents – but it was [i]their[/i] home. Zahir studied and Khalid worked. During the weekends they took long walks in Kabul’s many enormous gardens, where they would lay under their favourite tree and Khalid would read old 20th century stories out loud. Zahir always looked forward to these moments. He could close his eyes and let Khalid’s deep, rhythmic voice swirl around in his mind for what seemed like hours. Often he fell asleep. These weeks of happiness were occasionally interrupted by nights like tonight, where Zahir would wake in an empty bed. He knew Khalid was out there somewhere and every time it happened, he was terrified that morning would come with no sign from him. As he watched Khalid struggle, he realized that there was nothing he could do to interfere with his determination to fight for the country’s independence, no matter how dangerous it was. If Khalid did not return hours later, their last conversation would involve an argument. Zahir could not bear the thought and he reached out in the darkness. ‘Here, Khali…come here. I’ll help,’ he whispered. Khalid stopped and looked up. ‘You sure, Zee?’ Zahir nodded quickly, fighting back tears. ‘Yes, I’m sure. What’s the matter with it?’ ‘I’m not sure,’ replied Khalid, ‘I think something is stuck. It’s my vest.’ As he approached the bed, Zahir reached out and touched the vest. It was even heavier than it sounded. Thick straps enveloped it from all angles. The padding was firm and weighty. Perhaps it was bullet proof. Zahir felt somewhat better with this thought in mind. He reached around Khalid’s waist and fastened a loose plastic clasp. It squeaked slightly in protest, but then snapped into place. ‘There. You had it plugged into the wrong spot. No wonder it didn’t feel right.’ Khalid chuckled to himself quietly. ‘I want to save Afghanistan, but I can’t even dress myself.’ Zahir smiled, but did not laugh. Khalid was standing directly in front of the window now and the moonlight washed over him. He was taller than Zahir, with large brown eyes and long, dark eyelashes. Even in the dim moonlight, his large smile was easily visible – it balanced his harder features, which included a growing five o’clock shadow. He ran his hand through Zahir’s hair. ‘I know you’re worried, but I will be ok. I always come back to you, don’t I?’ A tear ran down Zahir’s cheek. He was angry at himself for allowing it; he did not want to put extra pressure on Khalid. If he were to become distracted for even a moment out there, it could mean the difference between life and death. Zahir simply nodded. Khalid leaned down and kissed Zahir gently. ‘My desert flower,’ he whispered. And with that, he turned and approached the large window, ready to face whatever the night had in store.[/font]

[Sabrina]

[CENTER][IMG]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8279/jamiekingse9.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Viktor resisted the urge to throw up on the spot when he emerged from the emergency stairs and took a few steps into the lobby area where the passengers had been ordered to gather. The sight that met his eyes was horrifying. Not only were there dead passengers all over the place, but bits and pieces of those who had been torn apart when the ship crashed as well. He managed to get it under control as he made his way through the carnage towards members of the crew and passengers that he could see moving about. They appeared to be moving the injured into the buildings that were the least damaged. Viktor nearly lost it again when he came across Ilona, lying on the deck. He shook his head and moved on since there was nothing he could do for her. The entrance to the casino was busy and Viktor headed for it, intent on seeing if any of the others who had been at the outpost had survived. If they had, he imagined that they would have headed to this place. He was about to head in when movement to the left caught his attention and he turned to look. He couldn?t help but smile when he caught sight of a familiar school uniform and blonde hair. He couldn?t see her face but Katelyn was the only passenger he had seen wearing that uniform. She was talking to the photographer Jamie and the other passenger Zahir. His smile deepened as he turned to go and join them. He was almost there when Zahir saw him approaching and uttered his name. Katelyn?s head whipped about as she turned to look, her eyes widened upon seeing him. ?[B]Viktor![/B]? She quickly covered the distance between them and then threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as tears ran down her face. Viktor hugged her in return, doing nothing to stop the tears that ran down his own face. He waited patiently until she finally relaxed her grasp and pulled free. ?[B]I was afraid you were dead.[/B]? She finally explained. He started to speak but she looked past him and frowned. ?[B]Where?s Misha?[/B]? ?[B]He didn?t make it.[/B]? Viktor whispered as he suppressed the urge to weep. He didn?t have time for that now. They had to figure out what to do next. Katelyn looked down, ?[B]I?m so sorry, Viktor.[/B]? Viktor grabbed her shoulders, causing her to look up at him. ?[B]Thank you.[/B]? He said kindly before letting go. He looked over to the other two. ?[B]Do either of you know what?s going on? Well besides the obvious bit that we?ve crashed.[/B]? Both of them shook their heads. ?[B]We?re trying to figure out where the others are.[/B]? Jamie explained. ?[B]Unfortunately, the system that tracks the passenger tags isn?t working properly.[/B]? ?[B]I see,[/B]? Viktor said. ?[B]Did you actually find anyone?[/B]? ?[B]Just you and Natalia and someone named Jefferson.[/B]? Zahir offered, nodding towards the terminal at the reception desk. He had an odd look in his eyes and Viktor wondered what it meant. Viktor looked to the terminal just as more information came up. Confused he walked around Katelyn and went over to check. ?[B]Did you start the search again?[/B]? Puzzled the others moved over to take a look. ?[B]What the...? How did it do that?[/B]? Katelyn asked. ?[B]I only sent in a query twice.[/B]? ?[B]It?s probably malfunctioning.[/B]? Viktor frowned. ?[B]How else could it indicate that Natalia is with Miss Wells? personal security in the sealed deck? And why would Arthur enter the area and leave?[/B]? ?[B]I don?t know.[/B]? Katelyn was confused. ?[B]And I don?t care. The crew is busy helping the passengers so I?m going to go and see if they?re hurt. They may need our help.[/B]? ?[B]No[/B].? Viktor objected, startling her. ?[B]What?[/B]? Katelyn was astonished. ?[B]Why not? You?re not making any sense Viktor.[/B]? ?[B]Katelyn,[/B]? Jamie started explaining with a knowing glance at Viktor, ?[B]How do you think we ended up stranded at the outpost?[/B]? He waited for a moment to let it sink in. ?[B]Only someone with high level security clearance could have done that.[/B]? Katelyn stepped back. ?[B]What are you talking about? I know it was mentioned before, but you have no proof.[/B]? She looked at each one of them in turn and then shook her head. ?[B]Even if that?s true, Natalia was left behind too. She needs our help.[/B]? ?[B]It?s too dangerous,[/B]? Viktor disagreed. "[B]If Miss Wells' security is in on it, it would be foolish to go anywhere near him.[/B]? He spread his arms out to the side, palms up. ?[B]None of us are armed.[/B]? ?[B]But?[/B]? protested Katelyn. ?[B]He?s not the problem[/B].? Zahir said softly. ?[B]What?[/B]? All three of them said at once. Zahir looked at each of them as if deciding and then sighed before explaining. ?[B]It wasn?t him; it was Miss Wells who did it.[/B]? ?[B]Wait? what? How can you be sure?[/B]? Viktor pressed. It was obvious that whatever he knew or had found out was making him nervous. He watched as Zahir seemed to struggle with it before he finally looked down, sighed and then looked back up at the trio. ?[B]I overheard a conversation between Miss Wells, Natalia and Jeff right before the ship crashed.[/B]? Zahir said. Viktor had so many questions that he wanted to ask but he held them in as Zahir hastily explained what he had overheard. It seemed by the way he would wring his hands and look away from time to time that he was leaving something out. Viktor couldn?t be sure. All he knew was the more he heard, the clearer it was that the crash was the least of their worries.