Episode One: Pioneer Days
Written by Blitzgal
Disclaimer: The Buffy universe belongs to Joss Wheon, Mutant Enemy, and UPN. However, the original character in this piece of AU fiction belong to me. Do not reproduce in any way. Check out the Undaunted website at
Part One
2068 Common Era
The cramped lobby was complete bedlam. As Lark pushed her way through the crowd in an attempt to reach gate six, she felt a growing sense of claustrophobia. A large man moved backward suddenly as he argued with a woman at the ticket counter about the number of crates he was allowed to check. Jerking away to avoid being squashed, Lark accidentally stomped on the foot of the girl behind her.
"Sorry," she said, lightly touching the girl's arm to emphasize the apology.
The girl smiled through her wince of pain, nodding as if to say, "It's okay."
"Bit, did you remember to label every box? I just heard some of the crew members saying that anything not properly labeled would become public property once we land."
A blonde woman hurried toward them, speaking so quickly she almost forgot to breathe. The girl beside Lark sighed heavily.
"I said not to call me that anymore," she snapped. "And yes, they're all labeled. I'm not a complete idiot, you know."
"Just making sure," the blonde woman responded. She reached out to straighten the girl's jacket. "That really looks good on you…" she started before glancing toward Lark and drifting off, her mouth hanging open. "Hello. Did you meet a little friend?"
Lark raised her brows. Little friend? She opened her mouth to respond when the blonde took a look at the badge on her jacket and stepped back abruptly, as if she'd been burned.
"Oh, you're labor class," she said, her brow furrowed. "Bit, let's go over here. I think there are some chairs left in the waiting area at gate twelve."
Snorting, Lark shook her head as they both walked away. She didn't have the energy to get angry. In a few hours they'd be lead up to the ship—according to class, of course—and then put under for the journey to Vic-12. At first she was completely keyed up by the idea of actually being on another planet. But now that excitement had strangely deflated as she came closer to the event.
It wasn't as if she had anything better going on here. She wouldn't be missed on Earth, and if things went well on the new colony, she wouldn't miss the home planet, either. But the idea of being put in stasis for several months as the ship took its automated course to Vic-12…it wasn't exactly comforting. But she'd be the last to admit to anyone that she was a little frightened of the process.
"Gate six," a male voice interjected at her left.
"What?" she asked.
The dark haired man gestured toward the ticket clutched in her hand. "You're looking for gate six, right? That's where I'm heading."
Lark glanced toward the retreating backs of the two young women she'd been speaking to and frowned. They were two rich bitches who'd signed up for the journey to get their kicks, most likely. What the hell would they contribute to the project? The first broken nail and they'd be running for the next supply ship.
Following her gaze, the man shook his head. "Ignore them," he said. "They're tourists. Won't last three months. C'mon."
Numbly, she turned to follow him toward their gate. He wore the dark green uniform of the maintenance crew. The cloth was brand new, the uniform never worn. Her own khaki jumper was chafing the back of her neck. She reached up to scratch herself, but her frayed nails only made the itch worse.
"What's your name?" the man asked, calling over his shoulder as he dodged some passerby.
"Deborah Lark," she answered. "But call me Lark."
"Lark," he nodded. "That's kind of cool. My name's Thomas MacArthur. Tom," he added.
"You related to the family who financed this project?" Lark asked.
Tom grinned. "Uh, yeah. Distant relation, obviously," he said, picking at the collar of his uniform. "Did you go through baggage check yet?" he asked, changing the subject.
Lark shook her head. "Everything I have is government issued," she explained.
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "No family pictures, priceless heirlooms…?"
She smiled at his smirking face. "No," she said.
"Well, I'm sure the princesses took care of your allotted storage space," Tom said, jerking his head.
They were passing gate twelve. The two young women were not visible, but Lark imagined them arguing over the cut of Bit's designer jacket. "You know them?" she asked.
He laughed. "You don't read the Society page, do you?" he teased. When she shook her head, he continued, "Those are the Baines girls. Lyssa and Elizabeth Baines, whose family has more money than God?"
Lark shook her head again. "Never heard of them," she said.
"Wow. Actually, that really impresses me," he answered, grinning slyly. "It was huge news when those two signed on, of course. I think they single-handedly brought in about half the finances for transport. After they made it socially acceptable, every silver spoon brat wanted in on the action."
"That should make things interesting," Lark said. "Do we actually have anyone willing to work heading out with us?"
"You," he said, pointing to her uniform. "You're labor. Build the housing, do the grunt work. It's all you, friend."
"Sounds like fun," she muttered. She started to ask him more about his family when she was suddenly distracted by a man slouching against the wall to their right.
It took several moments for the crowd to disperse enough for her to actually see him clearly. Lark stood frozen in the middle of the surging flood and stared at the man in amazement. He noticed her attention almost immediately. Raising his head to meet her gaze, he smiled at her and winked. Lark frowned and moved forward to approach him.
"Hey, uh…Lark," Tom said behind her. "We've got to get in line. Medical examination…Lark?"
"Do you see him?" she breathed when Tom reached her side.
"Uh, yeah?" he said, his voice raising in question. "Who are we looking at?"
"Leaning against the wall," Lark answered. "Do you know what he is?"
"He's maintenance," Tom pointed out.
"He shouldn't be here," Lark said. She turned toward Tom abruptly, forcing him to jump back. "I need to see the head of security. Where would I find him?"
"If we don't get through our med exam, we're not going," Tom reminded her.
Lark shook her head. "This is important," she argued. "That man is dangerous. Where can I find the head of security around here?"
Lyssa sighed when she noticed her sister giving her an evil look. "What did I do now?" she asked.
Bit crossed her arms in front of her and scowled. "That was really rude, you know," she said.
"What?" Lyssa asked. "That coffee was disgusting. You can't scorch the beans and expect people not to notice."
Shaking her head, Bit rolled her eyes and seethed, "That's not what I'm talking about. You treated that girl like she was dirt."
Lyssa frowned. "You can't just talk to anybody," she said. "You had no idea who that person was. She could have been a complete nut. You're far too trusting of people."
"You're far too snobby," Bit retorted. "We're going to have to live with these people, you realize. And you're already making enemies."
"I'm not making enemies, I'm being cautious," Lyssa said calmly. "Believe me, there is a difference, and you will appreciate it in time."
"Whatever," Bit said, tossing her long brown hair.
They both turned in their seats when the heard the sounds of shouting behind them. A woman was struggling in the grasp of two large security guards. The two men were having a hard time holding on to her. She threw them off just as two more men jumped into the fray. Lyssa recognized her then—it was the girl Bit had been talking to earlier.
"Let go of me!" the laborer screamed. "You don't understand!"
Lyssa glanced at her sister with raised brows. "You were saying?" she murmured.
"He's a monster! He can't be allowed on the ship!"
Bit stared at the struggling girl in fascination. "Who is she talking about?"
Lyssa snorted. "Her dealer? She's obviously on some pretty serious stuff."
As they watched, a woman in a white lab coat hurried toward the guards, wielding a syringe. As the men held the young woman down, the doctor expertly injected a sedative into her arm. Several long moments passed before the girl calmed enough to be carried away. The group headed toward the medical facility near gate six. Bit turned to her sister in confusion.
"They're still taking her on board?" she asked. "After that?"
Lyssa shrugged. "They already spent the money to transport her," she said. "She's labor class. She has to work off the full cost. Besides, some people freak out in stressful situations like this. She'll learn to handle herself when she's out there in the wilds, or she won't make it."
She grabbed her younger sister's arm as their names were announced. "Med exam," Lyssa stated. "They said we can go together. C'mon."
"What was that about?" Val asked, staring at the monitors lining the left wall. An unconscious woman was being carried off by a group of security guards in view of camera six.
Douglas Rivers gave the monitors a cursory glance before commenting, "Freak out. Happens sometimes. She'll be put into stasis before she wakes, so she won't cause any problems. Are you finished over there?"
"Yes," Val murmured. "Bring him up."
Leaning forward, Rivers tapped a few keys on the console. Before them, a holographic image suddenly appeared on a wide screen. A middle-aged man wearing glasses and tweed stared down at them bemusedly.
"Valerie Jackson, meet Harrison," Rivers said.
The image twisted slightly to face her. An expression of surprised delight crossed its features. "Ms. Jackson," the man beamed. "How good of you to see me off."
"I'm coming along, Harrison," Val said, smiling. It was hard to look at the image and not see her mentor. But while Alex Harrison had lent himself to the personification of his computerized system, the computer was still just a machine, not a person.
"Oh, wonderful," Harrison responded. He reached up, removed his glasses, and cleaned them with a white handkerchief. Val chuckled. Alex had made sure to program many of his own idiosyncrasies into the system. "Have you made the proper adjustments? I believe there were a few calibration errors in the atmospheric processors." The computer glanced at Rivers and pointedly raised its brows.
Nodding, Val said, "I've done a complete diagnostics, and we're all set."
"Ah," Harrison responded. "It is good to have you aboard."
"I think we're ready to start loading the passengers," Val said to Rivers, who quickly bent over the intercom to notify the attendants.
Turning back toward Harrison, Val felt a swell of pride. Her teacher's advances made this trip possible. And now she was here, an integral part of human history. In two months' time, they would arrive on Vic-12. A small group of colonists had gone ahead and made a few preparations, and of course the entire planet had been thoroughly explored over ten years ago. Finally, they were ready to make the first advance toward interplanetary settlement. Her own name might not be remembered in future generations, but her own children and grandchildren would know of her feat.
Val glanced down at the console. Well, figuring she had kids, they would know. So maybe her mother was right—this path had inevitably led to her own spinsterhood. She was only twenty-four. There was plenty of time for marriage, kids, and all the ordinary stuff that seemed to mean so much more to her parents than her multiple degrees, her work with Dr. Harrison, and now her trip to the stars.
"Jackson," Rivers was saying. "Doc says you need to get down there, too. It's sleepy-time," he sang.
Taking a deep breath, Val nodded and stood from her seat. Sleepy-time. Only two months, she told herself. Sleep for two months, and wake up on a new planet. How exciting was that? She left the control room and headed down toward the med center.