Futuristic The Frontier Initiative - IC/Main

[Viper Actual]

Endeavor Armory

13 took a step back from the spilled coffee and withstood the numerous questions from the overly excited pilot. He began to look for rags or something suitable to clean the mess when the pilot's immediate response to the issue was to toss his jacket on it. "Oh," 13 said not satisfied to see someone use their jacket so carelessly. He turned to the SecDiv officer in charge of the weapons table to ask for a rag when a woman who did not take kindly to such a hasty issue to the mess spoke up. He spoke up and addressed the weapon smith. "A rag we can use for the mess, please."

The weapons keeper tossed 13 a rag and he deftly caught it and bent down to pick up the jacket and tidy the spilled coffee. He wiped off what he could from the jacket as well and stood offering it to Pilot Sirosky. "The pilot here was attempting to clean a slight mess. And I was hoping to answer a question for him. You are welcome to watch my demonstration if you like." He said in a cheery tone.


Dell took the offered jacket, slinging it back on immediately despite the sleeve still being soaked and causing lukewarm coffee to soak into his shirt underneath. To his credit, he genuinely didn't seem to mind, giving 13 his thanks before drinking from his pot.

He didn't know what the deal was with the looks the SecDiv officers were giving him, but needless to say, they were not appreciated. Contempt? Annoyance? Distrust? Was it his accent? Well, it wasn't really a big deal. No skin off his back, right? He didn't need their approval, they were practically glorified mall cops. The only reason he could see there being a SecDiv in the first place was to keep the colonists in line. After all, what kind of action were they expecting a year and a half away from Sol? Well, a lot, if 13's Anti-Material rifle was any indication, but that looked like a personal effect.

Dell gave the woman complaining about his jacket the barest look of offense. It may be marred by coffee stains, grease, oil, a concerning amount of rocket fuel, and other unidentifiable liquids but he'd had the thing for years now and it held a place in his heart, like how the bobby pin held the left sleeve in place.

"I'm not dignifying that with a comeback," Dell stated, because he genuinely couldn't be assed.


"What sort of 'demonstration'?" Asked the SecDiv officer before glancing over to Dell. She grunted and smirked ever so slightly before leaning in towards him, arms still crossed. "That's 'I'm not dignifying that with a comeback, ma'am' to you, hot-shot."

Her gaze shifted back towards 13. "Let's get on with whatever it is the two of you were doing before I toss you out." Almost on-cue, some of the other SecDiv members seemed to perk up and closed in the distance slightly to 13 and Dell while also forming a wall facing them.


Despite his intention 13 had drawn a small crowd now. But instead of bothering with embarrassment, he withdrew the small bag of bread pilot Sirosky had originally given him. "We will promptly be on our way once I have shown Pilot Sirosky," 13 dangled the bag of bread in the air for everyone to see. "How I can toast bread." He opened the small pouch and fished out the two pieces of bread.

"While the exact nature of my power supply is classified it may come as no surprise that a byproduct of my power is heat. Under normal operation, I would never generate enough heat to for anyone to notice." 13 took the bread in one hand and handed Pilot Sirosky the bag. "Please hold that." He held the bread in place against his chest piece to anyone listening intently enough that his cooling fans quit running. "However if I put myself in a high power mood and disable my cooling systems, I should be able to heat my armor to the 176 Celsius necessary to toast bread." 13 stopped talking for a moment and tilted his head slightly. "Interesting, it is more difficult to modulate the rising temperature than I expected." A fan clicked on and off again somewhere in the robot and after a few moments, the armor on his chest began to signs heat and the faint aroma of cooking bread began to travel in the space. "Almost there." 13 said as he flipped the bread over.

Soon enough the bread reached an appropriate golden brown on both sides. He lowered his hand from his chest and offered the toasted slices of bread as his fans kicked on and began working to cool his body again. "I should have brought butter, it would be a shame for this to go to waste pilot."


Roll: 7

With visible suspense the crowd of SecDiv operators- including the female officer that had questioned the two newcomers regarding their activities- watched in silence as 13 expertly toasted the slices of bread.

Clearly impressed as the hyper-lethal state-of-the-art killbot displayed the results of this unorthodox experiment murmurs and nods of approval spread throughout the crowd.

"Well, I'll be damn. A literal toaster-bot," muttered the officer while slowly shaking her head. She followed up her statement by slowly clapping her hands- a gesture which was mirrored by several others in the crowd.

A pair of LogDiv techs peeked inside, wondering what the fuss was about just as one of the SecDiv operators cheered on 13.

The officer then extended her hand towards both 13 and Dell; "I'm Casey. Red Rock Private Security, as are most of the guys in here."


"WHOO-What, nothing? Slow claps? Really?" Dell had stopped mid-cheer, looking around judgingly at the perceived lack of enthusiasm before snorting and taking a slice of toast from 13's hand to show he was just fucking with them. "Don't need butter, 3PO," Dell said nonchalantly before dipping the toast into his coffee and biting into it. You know, like a fucking lunatic.

Munching on the toast, Dell wiped the crumbs onto his pant leg before taking Casey's hand. "Delano Sirosky, I spent a few years with Red Rock too, now I'm stuck with Herschel Industrie and Enw-entchwi-enzw-Blyad," English wasn't Dell's first language, in fact, it was somewhere around his fourth, so tongue-twisters always screwed him over, "Well, however the hell you pronounce the second part."


With the exception of Pilot Sirosky, people shared moderate applause and nods of approval. Considering all he had done was make toast this seemed appropriate. "Toaster bot may be an oversimplification, however, I am pleased to add it to my list of skills." 13 eyed the pilot curiously as he took the toast and ate it after dipping it in the coffee. He was not familiar with the taste of coffee or toast but knew this was not a normal habit for enjoying toast. He started to wonder as to the sanity of this pilot based on his erratic behavior so far. Perhaps he was just an over-exuberant individual. Something of a common thread among pilots.

13 let Sirosky introduce himself first and met the proffered hand of Casey after. "You can call me 13 I'm with Bishop Global Armaments and hopefully I'm the smartest toaster you ever meet." He had wanted to correct his new comrade in the pronunciation of Entwicklung but decided that the pilot did not really need the help. It was part of his charm so far.


Casey shook Dell's and 13's hands without replying to the former's open-ended statement. She did however nod towards 13. "You bet, thus far you're already putting the automated infantry units on-base to shame simply through being capable of having a conversation."

As Casey spoke the crowd of SecDiv staff dispersed with some giving Dell and 13 taps on the shoulders and nods of approval. For what it's worth they had already managed to get in good standing with the grease monkeys playing around with firearms- which isn't all too bad considered the nature of Krasivyy's fauna and flora.

"Nothing quite like trying to crack a joke at a machine that only understands tactical commands and binary," said Casey while shaking her head. "That said, welcome to Endeavor and Krasivyy. Don't hesitate to stop if you need any help." She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Just don't mess up my floor again."

Calibutcher Togy

*
​

LogDiv Dormitories

"Glad to hear something's already lined up, I was itching to get in on the action; I'd be happy to join the expedition. Will there be a briefing prior to sallying out or are we going in blind?"

Hendricks chuckled. "There'll be two briefings- one from the corporate folks and one from the UN liaisons. Both parties are pretty invested in using big words but it all boils down to safety rules, weather reports, equipment checks and a buncha' other hoopla."
The heavy man gestured towards Burke. "Make sure to be at the mess by dawn. I'll forward the details to you digitally. Your private gear should be fine alongside whatever the colonial admins pass for an emergency kit."

Carl sighed and nodded. "Make sure to get enough hours in the bunk. Your first weeks are going to be tough with your body getting used to all the lovely warmth and moisture that Krasivyy has to offer."

Solar Daddy

*
​

DevDiv Laboratories

Unlike the rest of the general areas housed within the central colony complex the DevDiv labs were much sturdier and reinforced all-around. Upon entering the lab entrance Andrew would note that the bulkhead separating the labs from the general hallways was unusually thick- much like that on a cargo freighter or warship in space.

Secondly he would notice the various security measures in place;

Cameras, motion trackers, metal detectors, an airlock and a manned reception desk.

Flanking the reception desk on either side were two SecDiv officers. Aside from holsters and pistol magazines the two guards were also equipped with their own ultra-light carbines and low-profile body-armor bearing the symbol of Red Rock Private Security. Both of the guards stared at Andrew as he entered the check-in area but soon enough refocused their attention to the wall in front of them.

As he approached the receptionist looked up from behind her holographic monitor. She was young, most likely in her early twenties, with pale and delicate features. Her hair was tied up into a bun that bobbed slightly as she looked up and greeted Andrew with a well-practiced smile. In a way she was the opposite of the two guards flanking her, of which both looked like armed gorillas in corporate gear.

"Hello, welcome to the labs." She said. "You're one of the new arrivals, right?"

A sturdy-looking datapad was produced from behind the desk and placed at the top. "I'll need your hand- and eye-biometrics here as well as a signature on the NDA. Standard protocol."

Holyhalo

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Leo Beckett Cohen, Calypso's Corporate Covert Operative

After the separation of the group, Leo ever the affable rogue that he is managed to sneak away from the prying eyes of the SecDiv guards, who in retrospect appear more paramilitary than the rent-a-cops that the operative arrogantly imagined them. He preferred it this way, the sneaking. Plain clothes, a smile beneath his blond hair, and the little hidey-holes created by inadvertent design, human inattentiveness, and light absence. The directions that he received, memorised, then stored away during the infiltration briefing are being put to the test. The station had an element of the labyrinthine, but nothing that Leo could not handle.

Turning the corner, he stepped at an injunction between two hallways. One stretching off into the distance, another ending in a dead-end next to what Leo assumes to be a closet or janitorial room. Taking a right into the dead-end hallway, Leo crouched down and moved a pair of containers, likely recyclable waste, behind them was hidden in the damp, dust flaked corner a datapad with slimmed down proportions and a darker finish. "Bingo," Leo mouthed as his hands reached to pick it up. He placed a thumb on the screen, awakening with a blue tint. Biometric activation, nice.

A terrible twist of fate occurred as the screen showed a countdown to decryption, Leo wanted to sigh but snapped his fingers instead. Pocketing the furtive pad into his duffel, the corporate agent masked an everyday LogDiv worker meandered his way back to the dormitories in time to catch the Hendricks fellow and heavyset man conversing.

"Hello, hello." Says Leo with a pep in his voice and a wave from the door. "Got sidetracked by corporate, you know how it is,"

Viper Actual Solar Daddy

 

[Holyhalo]

Andrew hummed a little tune to himself as he walked from his sleeping quarters to DevDiv, following the instructions of his newest gadget. His instructions led him to an elevator going down and as the doors closed on him, Andrew turned to the little hover bot, holding his hand up close to it. This would force the camera to refocus, just in case, and put Andrew in sharp focus for the moment. He grinned at future Andrew, who would be going through the footage, and winked. “Handsome as ever, right, Beepulon?” The hover camera beeped in response, although Andrew knew it was a response to let him know the focusing was done, rather than any sort of attempt at actual communication.

The elevator zoomed down and came to a halt before the doors opened again and Andrew stepped out into an underground hallway. Despite the surface-bright levels of light, he could feel the underground-ness of it all quite heavily in the first few steps. Heavy looking walls, thick metallic bulkheads and the smell of aircon-air. Andrew was glad he’d managed to get assigned to the more outdoorsy part of DevDiv as he followed the main hallway leading further underground.

His attention was drawn by a set of cameras along the hallway that kept an eye on him, moving with him as he walked. He stopped and then walked back, watching the camera follow him. He waved at it and then pretended to continue on his way before quickly turning and running back down the hallway in an attempt to evade it. When that didn’t work, he moved closer and tried to lean left and right to see how it reacted to smaller movements, ending with some weird lefty-righty snake dance-y thingie that carried him a little further down the hallway.

As it dawned on him how that looked to the eyes of anyone else, Andrew couldn’t help but laugh at himself for a moment. He’d definitely leave that part in the footage going home. With a big smile on his face, he gave a double thumbs up at the camera and a last wave before turning to continue on his way only to see two stern guards across a waiting area of some sort staring at him from across the room.

For a moment Andrew and the guards just stared at each other before a young lady stood up from behind the reception. He quickly crossed the room, doing his best to ignore the two guards, and stood in front of the reception. “Hello, hello. That’s right. I’m the new guy. Or one of the many new guys and gals that arrived today.” He moved to offer his hand in greeting but she moved to pull a datapad from behind her desk and put it in between them. Diverting his hand, he instead pulled the datapad closer.

The screen showed a vague outline of a hand so Andrew pressed his right hand to it. Light quickly scanned across it and the machine beeped in some approving sense. Then the image shifted to an eye and Andrew leaned in, turning his head slightly so his right side was a little more forward and proceeded to think really hard about not blinking as the datapad scanned his eye as well. Another approving beep and the biometrics were complete.

“Will I need to do those every time I want to enter the facilities, is it an every morning sign-in thing or just a one time thing upon arrival?” He asked the receptionist as he quickly skimmed the NDA for anything particular in regards to megafauna related stuff but nothing seemed to pop out specifically, to his disappointment. He put his signature to it and placed it back on the desk.

“By the way, this is Beepulon, he’s my cam-bot. I was assured he’d have full access to the place but that was back on Earth and I want to make sure this is still the case before I get jumped by SecDev for camera related reasons.” As he mentioned SecDev, he allowed himself a quick glance at the fully armed, fully armored guards flanking him at that moment.

 

[Solar Daddy]

Burke gave Hendricks a heavy nod. "Of course. I'll be on my A-game by meetup time, no worrying in that regard sir." Burke was planning on scouting around the complex a bit further before eventually heading back to his dorms and catching whatever little sleep he could before his first day of work. If the meeting was at dawn, he had plenty of time to get up to his antics before getting a full night's sleep. Hartmann just hoped the meetings wouldn't drag on forever. Nothing was more boring than some suits talking about things they've only ever dealt with on paper.

Before either Hendricks or Hartmann were able to disengage from the conversation, a new face arrived, to which Burke was happy for. He had yet to meet many of his coworkers and associates, so getting at least introduced would be a good start. At his mention of corporate, Burke shook his head with a smile. "Can't stand suits, I feel you. Burke Hartmann." He extended a hand to the man casually. "Surveyor with the new wave. You riding out with the crew tomorrow too?"

Viper Actual Worthlessplebian

 

[Viper Actual]

LogDiv Dormitories

"Of course. I'll be on my A-game by meetup time, no worrying in that regard sir."

Hendricks smiled, nodded and gave Burke a quick thumbs-up. "Good! That's what I want to hear, son." He paused, eyeing Leo as he approached. "If you want to score some bonus points with both corporate and UN reps I suggest taking notes or asking questions during the briefing. They like that sort of thing. I guess it looks good on their own internal statistics or whatever."

He shrugged. "You know how suits are."

"Got sidetracked by corporate, you know how it is."

Hendricks chuckled and nodded. "No need to tell me twice," he said while extending a hand. "Another newcomer. Good to see so many new faces around here, let's just hope you all got what it takes." The smile on his face faded. "Otherwise you'll be going home in a urn."

Solar Daddy Worthlessplebian

*
​

DevDiv Laboratories

“Will I need to do those every time I want to enter the facilities, is it an every morning sign-in thing or just a one time thing upon arrival?”

The receptionist offered yet another well-practiced smile before replying; "Your biometrics are used to access the labs themselves as well as the research areas. Depending on your assigned role and security clearance you may or may not have access to some portions of the laboratories."

She nodded towards the sturdy airlock doors right behind her desk and continued; "Your handprint and corporate ID will be used for entry here, whereas other means of identification are only used beyond this point."

"I am also contractually obligated to inform you that should you attempt to gain access to a restricted area without proper security clearance you will be restrained by security staff." While the receptionist spoke one of the guards turned to stare at Andrew, giving him a slightly unnerving smirk. The guard gently tapped a pair of FlexiCuffs attached to the front of his body armor before turning away.

"Your Cam-Bot is indeed allowed inside the premises though any footage sampled inside the restricted and high-security rooms must be viewed and approved by the on-site corporate executives. This is to prevent copyright claims, patent infringement and more."

Holyhalo

 

[Holyhalo]

Nodding, Andrew followed the explanation of the receptionist. She seemed nice enough, unlike her protectors. Access to his work environment would all be through handprints and eye scans, except for more important locations, which would need additional means of identification, as she put it. “Alright, sounds good.” He hoped his work would keep him out of this place as much as possible and that they wouldn’t assign him to any of the classified stuff unless it involved the local wildlife in some way. Then again, knowing what he knew about the megacorps, projects involving the local wildlife wouldn’t be about living side by side with them in harmony so no projects would be better.

He made a mental note to keep his ID somewhere visible in his room on the way out so he wouldn’t be able to forget it in the mornings. Maybe hang it on the back of the door if he closed it? Or wrap it around the bottle of water he drank from every morning. Toothbrush maybe? He’d have to go over the options later when he was back in his assigned room. He got pulled from his train of thought as the receptionist started threatening him with the usual stuff. However, when the guard turned to him with that weird smile, Andrew nodded quickly that he understood. “Yes, not to worry there. I have no interest in restricted stuff nor in spending time in handcuffs.”

As they moved on to the rules about the bot, he found himself pleasantly surprised that the rules and regulations he’d been given back home were the same as the ones he was being given here. “That’s what I was told back home, yes. Do you know if I’ll have to hand over the recordings somewhere at the end of the day or is it something the executives will contact me about whenever they have time to go through them?”

As all his questions were answered for now, Andrew looked towards the airlock that separated the work space from the reception. For a moment, he wondered how much went on beyond those doors that nobody knew about officially. Then he let the thought go as that only led to trouble. Just focus on what you’re here for and you might be able to go back, or something along those lines. That’s what they’d told him and so many other volunteers back home. “Oh, right, do I have an office or something? Or a desk somewhere? And am I allowed to go and have a look now or should I wait for the official first day of work tomorrow?”

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Leo Beckett Cohen, Calypso's Corporate Covert Operative

Leo entered the premises of the dormitory nonchalantly, whilst eyeing the two conversing coworkers. He dropped his duffel like a sack of potatoes on one of the bunk beds, the ginger spy nods at Hendricks' observation, though Leo imagines that they possess an entirely different understanding of corporate suits and their sticky fingers. All's well in the end really, best to keep the two worlds separate. Hartman had extended a hand to him, a brief smile as Leo shakes. "The name's Leo, though you probably already know by my tag." Pointing with his ring finger towards the named tag on the uniform's left breast.

Hendricks had given him a handshake offering as well, not wishing to be impolite, Leo accepts it as well. A slight chuckle breaks out at the sudden sternness in the man's face, it seemed almost like what he said was a good joke. "You sound almost like my old drill instructor. Well, the last part that is." Leo rubbed the scruff on his chin. "No need to worry, this wouldn't be my first job as a transporter and surveyor. Suppose anybody who's anybody could still learn a thing or two."

Solar Daddy Viper Actual

 

[Solar Daddy]

Burke listened to what both Leo and Hendricks had to say, crossing his arms casually as the conversation unfolded. As the conversation dipped in tone for a moment by Hendricks, followed with a response from Leo, Hartmann spoke up as well. "LogDiv does was it can to keep the rest of the Div's on their feet. The possibility of an early grave is a small consequence for the important work we do." He chimed in whimsically, like the sage wisdom of an old monk. More down-to-earth now, he added, "We'll get the job done. LogDiv types have to. The rest rely on us; we keep the planes in the air and the information fresh." Burke gave a deep nod, clearly convicted in his opinion. LogDiv would always be the most important out of the bunch in his eyes, there was no convincing him otherwise.

To Leo, Burke continued. "Looking forward to see what your specialties are in the field, Leo. If you're a surveyor as well, I'm sure we'll be collaborating on LogDiv efforts in the near future."

Worthlessplebian Viper Actual

 

[Viper Actual]

LogDiv Dormitories

"The name's Leo, though you probably already know by my tag."

"Glad to have you, Leo." Said Hendricks. "Name's Carl, Carl Hendricks."

When both Leo and Burke reacted to the change in tone Hendricks shrugged slightly before crossing his arms. "Look fellas, I don't like to ruin the mood but Krasivyy is anything but a walk in the park. I've placed enough hardhats and ID-badges on the memorial to know what happens when fresh newcomers arrive here and think they can conquer and master everything there is to know about this planet on their first week."

He sighed before continuing; "Be careful. Respect Krasivyy. Follow the rules. If you can find a buddy along the way to watch your back then that's great but pick your allies carefully."

"Even this far away from Sol there's corporate politics lurking behind every corner. It's very rarely anything good- especially all the way out here."

Hendricks nodded down the hallway. "And you better start praying if Drennek and her boys catch you imposing any sort of corporate politics yourselves. She has a zero tolerance against that, which is about one of the few good things about her- but you didn't hear that from me."

Solar Daddy Worthlessplebian

*​

DevDiv Laboratories

“That’s what I was told back home, yes. Do you know if I’ll have to hand over the recordings somewhere at the end of the day or is it something the executives will contact me about whenever they have time to go through them?”

The receptionist smiled briefly, as if corporate censorship was just as candid as talking about the weather. "You may simply submit any footage you'd like to use for review with the colonial administration. There are not set hours or times that you need to keep in mind- just that anything you want to send back must be reviewed first."

She offered a charming and warm smile. "It's standard procedure for everyone here except United Nations staff."

When Andrew asked about an office the receptionist nodded. "Of course, sir. You should have a dedicated space for yourself inside the premises, either a small cubicle or a separate office space. If you end up with the former you may submit a query here- directly to me- and I'll see if I can arrange a transfer."

"Sometimes research staff that spend most of their time outside the fence are appointed an office space that they rarely use and in such situations we may arrange a switch to accommodate for staff that are on-site much more frequently."

The woman hushed her voice and leaned in slightly. "Either that or I'll notify you of any available space in the event of a casualty. They happen, unfortunately."

Leaning back, the woman smiled once again. "Now, are there any further questions? You may enter today if you please- the labs are always open."

Holyhalo

*
​

Endeavor Armory

Leaning in towards Dell, 13 faked or rather imitated the sound of clearing his throat as the pilot appeared to have momentarily zoned out. While waiting for Dell to respond to Casey, 13 nodded his robotic head. It was an awkward gesture for him and one that reduced the effectiveness of his primary sensory output by zero point nine percentage for half a second.

It was, nonetheless, a human gesture and those always improved 13's standing with whomever he worked with. His maker had always explained it as something that made him more relatable which in turn made people comfortable. Unfortunately 13 wasn't equipped the gauge the emotional comfort of Humans in his immediate proximity though based on both her relaxed body language and steady pulse Cass seemed comfortable enough.

"Thank you, Security Officer Casey. Pilot Sirosky and I shall keep that in mind."

Togy

* * *
​

20 hours later
Camp Endeavor Airfield

The colony airfield was abuzz with activity. Even for a small sortie such as the UN inspection planned for the day there were plenty of moving parts currently preparing to see the three aircraft off.

Sitting on the tarmac close to the main colonial complex a trio of UH-95 Minuteman dropships were being loaded up, fueled and crewed in anticipation for today's flight. Two of the aircraft bore no special markings beyond those that identified the two aircraft as part of Endeavors fleet of dropships. Pilots from the 1st and 2nd Krasivyy Expeditions had painted, scratched, etched and marked symbols, letters, lucky numbers and more at the nose of the craft- near its rotating sensory equipment.

But beyond that the two aircraft were spotless and almost looked factory-new.

The third craft however was painted in an all-white scheme with big, bold black letters forming 'UN' on various parts such as the passenger bay doors, wings, nose and belly. All three craft had been equipped with rotating mounts for weapons or searchlights, jutting out from the sides and easily accessible by the passengers in the troop compartment.

Carried, secured, loaded and strapped in inside the three Minutemen by a small army of LogDiv staff were emergency food rations, compact signal equipment, biological sample kits and more. Today's sortie was planned to last for three, maximum four, hours of the day. After that the dropships would return home and for the UN inspectors and company liaisons the evening would be occupied by a long post-inspection meeting whereas SecDiv and LogDiv staff would be busy maintaining aircraft and equipment.

For now however the mission had not even started.

Standing a few meters away from the dropships were Robert Kowalski. A wildlife ranger at heart, he had enlisted with the UNWPO to help preserve, restore and protect wildlife and their habitats. In Krasivyy's case that mission was a bit more challenging as Kowalski had to toe the line between the United Nations' and the Corporate Colonial Administration's respective interests.

More often than not it was a difficult task and more often than not the delicate balance between both entities rested on Kowalski's shoulders. Even still he enjoyed the work- especially on days such as these.

The day before the 3rd Krasivyy Expedition had arrived and with it several new junior and senior UN inspectors, controllers and observers. Soon it would be time for Kowalski to rotate back to Sol- solely because he had been ordered to return when the 4th Expedition arrives. Until then however he'd spend his days teaching his new coworkers about the intricate politics which dominated Krasivyy's colonial development.

What a lovely day.

Artem Levkov was almost as excited as Kowalski- though for entirely different reasons. While his work remained a closely guarded corporate secret, today would be a good opportunity to take in the local sights and to make his own notes and observations. Unfortunately someone at colonial administration had decided for Artem to be accompanied by an adrenaline-junkie with a camera.

Preferring to work alone, Artem did at least appreciate that the man- Andrew Baxter-something- would at the very least provide healthy insight and second opinion on the world around them.

Holyhalo

Standing not too far away from Artem were 13, Morgado and Dell. Morgado studied 13 as his robotic peer remained as static as a statue, standing in parade rest next to the pilot. "'Ey guey, are you nervous?"

Turning slowly, 13 tilted his head slightly. "I am not and had I been you should've been just as nervous." 13 looked away. "If not more."

Morgado shook his head, just then a woman in a pilot coverall showed up next to Dell, extending a gloved hand. "Hey there, I'm Brooke." She nodded towards the three UH-95 dropships. "I'm in charge of all the UN-sorties. Looks like you'll be my wingman today alongside Haskell."

Togy

Hendricks cleared his throat before looking over at Burke and Leo. There were some other LogDiv guys present as well, that and a civilian maintenance contractor that happened to be an expert on the portable power supply system that was going to be used on today's sortie for the UN's surveying- and inspection-equipment. "Well, fellas." Hendricks started.

"The briefing wasn't that interesting. Now, however, begins the fun part." He smiled. "You boys ready to see some jungle?"

Solar Daddy Worthlessplebian ANIMAL MOTHER

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Leo Beckett Cohen, Calypso's Corporate Covert Operative

The man nodded to Burke's word. "Fairly certain we will, I used to contract for the suits back home. Hey, anything could happen." Leo shrugged unzipping the duffle that he brought in with himself. The soft, green glow of the mysterious datapad greeted Leo. The image of a padlock with its shackle lifted was swiped away then turned dark entirely when Leo pressed his thumb against the power-button. The naturally cheerful, albeit worn-faced man identified himself as Carl Hendricks, a THE LogDiv employee with the frayed hat of some defunct corporation. Cohen faced Hendricks with a respectful look.

"You got it, chief." Sounded Leo while taking off his shoes and spraying over his bunk. Adopting a relaxed position, Leo did a small salute from his temple. "I'll get some shut-eye now, the trippy-trip must've taken more outta me than expected, really."

Twenty hours came and went, Leo slept for two-thirds of the time but arose ready. He went around the Frontier base one last time, physically attributing to memory the layout. The collar of his provided uniform felt tight whenever he passed the SecDiv security guards, their impassive and sometimes following stare pricked his skin at the worst times. But Leo knew that his cover remained strong as titanium and low-observable for now.

Soon enough, he found himself stationed alongside Burke, other LogDiv members, and Hendricks. The briefing had been monotonous, though Leo maintained concentration. They were preparing for their sortie when Hendricks spoke up. "It certainly isn't everyday we get a chance to peep at xenomorphic jungles, speaking for myself... Ready as a beaver with a flowing river." Leo was undoubtedly piqued by the prospect. In his line of work, finding niceties is not prohibited as long as they don't interfere with the conduct. This was one such nicety.

Viper Actual Solar Daddy

 

[Holyhalo]

After his very informative chat with the reception lady in DevDiv, Andrew had contemplated going to check on his office but ultimately decided not to, leaving it for another time. While everything was all new and fun, Andrew knew better than to keep going on the rush of adrenaline or whatever he was going on at the moment. Just sheer excitement for being here? He slowly made his way back up out of DevDiv and spent another hour or so simply wandering the halls of the main building. He had a nice dinner at the mess hall and then, as expected, he felt himself crashing. Not long after, he was curled up in bed and off to dreamland.

The following morning, Andrew was up early, nursing a bowl of cereal at the top of the main building, waiting for the sun to rise. Beepulon was busy filming the expected sunrise as he slowly chewed on his breakfast. And then it happened. For a few minutes, Andrew forgot all about megafauna and eating and getting dressed for his first trip out of the base. His first sunrise on another planet. Wow. Just Wow. As he slowly came back to his senses, Andrew realized how amazing of an opening shot that would make for his first video on Krasivyy.

The rest of his morning was spent preparing for his first steps outside of the base. He felt like he would never have enough time to get all prepped before take off, or whatever the local term for it was, sortie, exfil, leave, whatever and so he spent most of the time rushing until everything was done. And then he had to sit and wait for another half hour, twiddling his thumbs. When he received another message to begin gathering at the airfield, Andrew was all set and ready to go in seconds. Except that in his excitement he forgot his ID badge and had to go back to grab it from the door handle where he’d stored it so he wouldn’t forget it whenever he left the room.

The airfield was bustling with members of all of the Divs working together to get everything going, and most of them weren’t even there to work on Andrew’s departure. A larger group of people was gathering near three parked ships, the number of ships mentioned in the message he’d received, so Andrew walked up to join them. He recognized a few faces from the arrival day yesterday but didn’t remember any names as he looked around the group.

His attention fell on one of the people gathered there. A ranger. He could tell, somehow. Not necessarily by the outfit or any marking giving away his position or Div here on Krasivyy. Something more… wild? Dangerous? Or survivor-y? Andrew didn’t really know what to call it but he recognized a fellow wildlife survivor. Did others get that feeling from him too? Was he survivor-y to others? Andrew took a quick look at Beepulon’s stats to make sure the bot was recording properly and walked over to the man.

“Morning. You’re a ranger, right? I’m Andrew, I volunteer as a ranger… or rather, I will, once I’m no longer space cryo-jetlagged.”

 

[Solar Daddy]

After finishing up his conversation with Leo and Hendricks, Burke went back to his room and recounted all the gear he'd need for the mission. It took him almost an hour to gather it all so he could have everything in one spot. It also required him to take a walk down to a few of the facilities within the compound to collect controlled substances and materials he might need when out in the field, which included his set of toxin identifier apparatuses and a few other highly complex items. Burke loved his job, and enjoyed deploying every last gadget he could out in the field. Of course, Hartmann also knew sleep was vital to staying alert on dangerous outings such as this, but the poor surveyman couldn't keep his eyes shut for the life of him. In total, he maybe got four hours of sleep total, over the 19 hours left to the gathering. It was torture for him to be so close - but so far - from adventure.

Luckily, the morning did arrive, and Burke was prepared and ready to go by the time mustering was required. Before Burke left his room, he paid respect to Otto's broken respirator, sitting idly on a makeshift altar on the counter in the kitchenette. He never left "home" on a mission without making sure to honor his late friend. Later, he grouped up with the other LogDiv specialists, alongside Leo and Hendricks who he met the day before. It was always good to see friendly faces, especially in such a new environment. It made events such as these even more... well, for lack of a better word, fun. Burke had no care in hiding his love of all things dangerous, it was one of the few things that gave him satisfaction anymore.

He watched as the ships were readied, and eventually Hendricks and Leo began chatting just like the day before. Burke, of course, chimed in as well. "Absolutely, sir. Excited to see what Krasivyy has in store for us. I'll keep my head on, don't worry." Burke smiled over at Hendricks. "Can't even imagine all the different kinds of alien flora out there." I wonder how many are poisonous, he didn't add out loud.