Hey, y'all! I hope you liked the last chapter. All characters are my own. I kindly ask that you please do not copy anything from this story or the characters in any way. Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Yuki yawned. Hair frazzled and clothes frumpled, she looked at the small mirror on her wall. Yep, a sight to behold. Groaning, she made her way out of bed and onto the ground below.

Suit on, she made her way to the main deck. A few people said their greetings as she walked by, some speaking Danish and other Russian. She returned their kindness with a wave, still half-asleep. As she stood in front of her commanding officer, she let her mind drift. She remembered playing with a young boy far up in space, running around until their lungs burned, and playing aliens and astronauts. She smiled at the memory, but she wished she could remember who he was. She'd guessed she was around four or five at the time, understanding that she probably wouldn't remember if she had been that young. Still, it was something to think about.

"Is there something amusing, Ms. Saito?" Yuki blinked. Her commanding officer looked her in the eye as he stood before her. Yuki smiled sheepishly as her class laughed. She turned her attention forward as he continued his lecture.

Jesse groaned. He put the weights down, grabbing a towel. He caught a glimpse of himself as he dried off. Tall, fair skinned, and covered with scars. He put the towel in a bin and threw his suit on in place of his workout clothes.

"Hey, Jess! You ready?" His friend, slightly shorter and decked out in an orange spacesuit, poked his head through the door.

"Yep," Jesse smiled. He grabbed his card from the dresser and put it in his pocket.

"Do you think there'll be some cute girls this time?" Jesse rolled his eyes. It had been 6 years since they'd decided to stay. Now eighteen, they would be forced to choose their wives from whatever batch of men and women were scheduled to be sent up. The women aboard the Skeld were equally expected to choose their husbands. As part of a new mandate, all of the parents who had stayed behind would get to return home upon the new arrivals, if they so chose. Nine times out of ten, there were no adults after the children were wed. The few who did stay only did so because they didn't see a life on earth anymore, what with their spouses having died or moved on after going back to earth.

"Connor, I think we have more important things to worry about," Jesse joked. The young man groaned.

"What's more important than picking our wife? I mean, seriously - we're supposed to spend our lives with someone we don't even know!"

"They give us time to get to know them before the wedding."

"Yeah, but what if they're all ugly?" Jesse gave him a look. "What? It's a fair question!" As they entered the cafeteria, he continued. "I mean, seriously - do you want to be married to an ugly woman all your life?" Jesse laughed. Connor rolled his eyes. "What? All I'm saying is that it's a hard decision." Long, metal tubes came down from the ceiling when they sat at a random table. One end resting on the surface, each tube waited as hot meals found their way through them and onto each table. Mission complete, they slowly rose up until they were flush with the ceiling. "So," Connor said between bites. "Do the girls choose their suits before or after we choose them? 'Cause I mean, I don't want to be married to someone if they're wearing a green suit." Jesse told him that reason was silly. "What? Green's an ugly color." Jesse laughed.

"That's the color of trees, you dingus!"

"Well, it's not pretty on a space suit," Connor humphed. Jesse's laughter subsided, leaving his smile behind.

"They wear the same-colored suit as their husband. That way, the government can better identify us."

"How does that make any sense? I mean, there are a lot of people wearing orange suits."

"True, but the patches on our shoulders help distinguish us from the other groups."

"Have you been reading textbooks again or something?" Jesse shrugged and went back to his food. The symbol Jesse mentioned embroidered their left shoulders, the small letter "A" resting atop an equally small rocket. The Analysts, though similar, sported a plant instead of a rocket. The Scientists were the most different, having an "S" instead of an "A", and a beaker at the bottom.

"I'm just saying - they've taken measures to better identify us if need be," Jesse said.

"Yeah, like that was necessary." Jesse didn't know how necessary it was, but it made sense. Each color represented a different role upon the Skeld; the same went for the other bases. The wives, after they were chosen, took on the supporting role of their husband's occupation. Though archaic, that's the system the government had chosen. It surprised him when he thought about it, but complaining about it wouldn't do much.

The Astronauts had little power, much like the other groups. The only authority they received was granted upon completing a heroic deed, or some other nonsense. His father had been awarded the title of General after saving the president's life; it was one of the main reasons he'd been allowed to bring his wife and son with him. Jesse remembered overhearing his father talk about a better life for him and his mother, the woman in question fighting him for taking them from their home.

Though she never dared fight about it in front of their son, she hadn't been for the decision. It was months later he learned she was finally content with it.

"Hey, gloomy gus! We gotta go!" Jesse started at Connor's words. Looking up, he saw that everyone had gone. How long had he been staring at his food?

"Right. Sorry," he said. Leaving his bowl to be sucked up by the tubes, he followed Connor to Admin. They both swiped their cards, ignoring the information that appeared.

"So, what do you think they'll be like?" Connor asked. Though Jesse wished he'd change the topic, he couldn't help but be curious.

"I don't know. They're usually from different countries."

"You'd think they'd try to pair us up with someone from our own country."

"They're trying to help us feel united," Jesse said.

"Yeah, but why? I mean, what's more uniting than a worldwide crisis?"

"Some people on the ground still don't want to cooperate with the other countries."

"What choice do they have? They're all under a big dome!"

Five years after the radiation spread, every government met together at a worldwide summit. The remaining occupants of the globe were sent to Switzerland - ironically, the only place in the world that hadn't been touched by the steadily growing radiation. A large dome was built around the small patch of land that lay unaffected. Thirteen years later, it was finally complete.

"Do you want to work with someone who threatened war?" Jesse asked. Connor quieted. A large war had broken out before the crisis. No one was told who caused it, and it was only halted because of the radiation. When evacuated to Switzerland, the survivors were on edge. Having lived through a war and an emergency of such proportions, their trust had yet to be earned.

They stepped into Navigation, meeting up with the rest of their crewmates. The ones their age fought for a good look outside of the large windows. The adults stood in the back, their excitement poorly hidden. A large hatch opened below them as the Skeld made its descent. It lowered like an elevator, slow and sure. The crew gasped as they got their first look inside the Dome. Nothing short of an architectural miracle, the Dome sat awash in bright panels that covered the inside of its crude, metal walls. The panels bathed the ground in daylight, giving an almost realistic sensation of clouds passing over a blue sky.

Jesse's eyes widened as his mouth hung open. The clouds outside had been gray, the sky masked in smog. Here, it looked as though nothing had changed. He'd had dreams of Earth, memories that tugged at his heart. As the Skeld landed, he couldn't help but rejoice as the ground met them with an unwelcoming thud.

He was home.