The trip from Ceres to the Near-Earth Hub and The Factory takes about a month, and while a great many stories are shared among the shuttle's passengers, the time still drags rather slowly aboard such a confined space.



Kayla and Dynamis's joint announcement that their destination will soon be upon them comes as a relief to most aboard.

OOC: Any unfinished business?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:25, Fri 07 Apr 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 1):

The last few hours are filled with a "hurry up and wait" mentality, as the facility enters visual range well before you're actually close enough to see more than a blip in the starfield.

Eventually, that distance closes enough to make our distinct features. For those who have not seen the Factory before, it may appear to be jarringly underwhelming: a chunk of rock just 5 miles across, hurtling through space without a care in the universe.

Presently, the shuttle is close enough to the hunk of rock's local airspace to make out a few key features: a large, domed structure nearly a square mile in size is the tallest object to be seen, while the rest of the space seems to be taken up by a network of greenhouses and enclosed roadways.

There is no docking facility to be seen, nor anywhere obvious to dock the ship. At Xander's prompting, Kayla steers the shuttle toward the domed structure, which swivels and swirls to create a small opening at the very top. Antiaircraft batteries dot the perimeter of the dome, though they do not appear to be tracking your movement.

The shuttle lands in an isolated docking area nestled just within the top of the dome. A shuddering sound and a hefty CLANK follows the moment the ship touches down, indicative of magnetic docking clamps. Outside the shuttle, a group of five people are approaching the loading dock. Two of them are obviously soldiers -- armed with blaster rifles -- while the other three are dressed, respectively, in a white lab coat, an IDA officer's uniform, and a pair of thermal coveralls worn over a sleek bodysuit with boots, gloves, and goggles that leave no scrap of skin exposed.

These latter three can be recognized as Dr. Hawkins, Director Kelce, and Viceroy, by those who have met them before.

The cockpit's camera show them come to a stop not far from where the boarding ramp would extend were you to open it, and wait there patiently.

Xander bounds down the ramp with a spring in his step, clad in his custom red-and-black EVA/pilot suit.

Hey! he calls out to the gathered people. Doctor. Director. Viceroy, glad to see you on your feet again! How you feeling?

In reply to Xander (msg # 3):

Dr. Hawkins and Director Kelce smile at Xander and nod, but before they can respond, Viceroy bounds up and claps him in an enthusiastic hug.

"Xanderagent! So good to see-see you!"

He holds on a little longer than strictly appropriate, then releases him and steps backward.

"I forgive-forgive your kind question. I am feel-feeling better. Yes! Much improve-improved. The others have arrive-arrived, too?" he asks, cocking his goggled head to one side.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:01, Thu 02 Mar 2017.

In reply to Viceroy (msg # 4):

Nightmare comes out of the shuttle slowly, guardedly and last.  She hangs out at the back of the group allowing everyone to fawn all over the newcomers.  She approaches Dr. Hawkins separately from the group,

Have you seen the fruits of our labor yet?  Our group has managed to collate several major data dumps of information but are we just accumulating haphazardly or is there an endgame in sight?

In reply to Xander (msg # 3):

Muse is last down the ramp. All his belongings are in a rucksack slung over his shoulder. He sizes up the trio and soldiers, then turns to Battalion and speaks in a low tone.


"Do you trust these people?"