Project O Adelfós
Location: Unknown Planet, far Outer Rim, 39 days after Battle of Geonosis:
Stan always wanted to work as a mission control technician, ever since he was a child growing up in the mid-west, he dreamed of space exploration. But never in his wildest dreams did he think it would happen to him.
However, after twenty years at the administration he just wasn't the young enthusiastic kid who walked in wide-eyed all those years ago. The years had taken their toll. First with his nonexistent relationship with woman, followed shortly by his receding hairline.
He had long ensconced himself as 'the night guy.' No one else wanted the dogwatch; they all had lives to live after all.
But Stan didn't care.
It was easy for him. There was no one to comment on his coffee stained shirts or his bad breath. He could do as he pleased with the rotating door of young minions eager to please the flight director.
MCC
Mission Control Centre. Stan laughed as he watched the latest recruit bustle around the empty space.
Stan sat in his chair in mission controls Observation room. This was the room the director would sit in and oversee all aerospace operations.
He smiled to himself, rocking back in his chair, imagining something other than the monotonous 'nothing' that was his life.
Stan looked over into the room directly in front of him, the one containing the massive screen that would display all the relevant data of the latest mission, including the live feed camera of the O Adelfós craters, the current mission's namesake.
The hundred or so seats were empty; the scientist's wouldn't be there until the morning shift that started at 7 am. He glanced at the video feed one more time and began flicking through his data pad.
The mission he was overseeing was an old one; the two little robots had drilled down in the ice for over two years. The goal of the project, find life underneath the ice, if not, send melt water from the two robots to the landing craft which would then create Hydrogen and Oxygen fuel for other future missions, one might even be manned.
Stan sighed, it was only 1 am and he had already drunk his thermos of coffee.
"Hey," he yelled out to the young man at the other end of the room, "Josh, grab us another cup of Joe will ya?"
Stan smiled at his young intern, the young athletic twenty something who talked mostly about his antics chasing woman around the local bars. He wasn't the worst he had been paired with, but Stan out lasted them all.
After a considerable amount of time the intern finally reappeared.
"Bout time you showed up, what took you so long?"
The kid shrugged, "had to use the vending machine. Hope you like vanilla; they didn't have the creamer you usually take.
Stan eyed the steaming cup of liquid suspiciously, he didn't like Vanilla, but the aroma was too overpowering, he took a cautious sip. It was hot but it was caffeine so he decided it would do, he mumbled something of a thanks before he continued staring at the monitor in front of him.
"Now, can we look over the mission data?" Josh was eager to be more than the errand boy, itching to do more than just look over his co-workers shoulder.
Stan looked at the enthusiastic kid through the vapor from his drink. He couldn't quite understand how anyone could be so energetic at this time in the morning.
"Sure, but don't, and I mean don't, touch anything, got it?"
Nodding excitedly in agreement the kid practically levitated down the stairs from the observation deck to the control room. Stan settled back lifting the cup once more to his mouth, when the unthinkable happened.
With a loud crack his chairs hydraulic piston failed sending him plummeting downward and spilling some of the steaming hot coffee onto his shirt. Muttering a string of profanities he went to look for something to clean up the mess. Just as he reached for a tissue, he heard the unmistakable sound of mission alert sirens blaring over both the observation and control rooms.
He quickly checked the electronics in front of him, making sure nothing had spilt on them, before a dark look clouded Stan's facial features.
"What the," he thought annoyed; "he must have touched something important. Why can't anyone listen to directions?"
Stumbling out of his now lowered seat, Stan grabbed what remained of his coffee and headed towards the stairs leading down to the control room. His pulled his pants up as he held the cup, muttering all the time under his breath.
Josh however was nowhere near the electronics; he was in the middle of the room, staring at what was slowly unfolding in front of him.
Stan followed his gaze.
Accompanied by loud warning bells, red proximity alert markers appeared in several places on the giant screen.
The mission's live-feed camera was no longer focused on the two robots in the identical craters. The computer sensors automatically detected and were currently tracking the trajectory of an unknown aerial target.
Stan and Josh both watched in amazement as the unknown craft landed somewhere just behind the crater wall, displacing a puff of red dust.
Over the blaring sirens, the only thing that could be heard in the room was the dull thunk as Stan dropped his Styrofoam cup down at his feet, the now warm liquid spilling down the stairs in front of him.
Location: Unknown Planet, far Outer Rim, 39 days after Battle of Geonosis:
"Great! Jumps, I thought you said this planet had signs of life on it? The atmosphere is too thin to support anything meaningful!" Tens muttered annoyed as he looked at one of the ships monitors. He then glared back at Jumps waiting for a response.
"If I recall correctly, I said that there were signs of robotic activity on it, not signs of life," Jumps stated bluntly as he walked over to look at the same screen his brother was so aggravated about.
"It's not like Jumps can even distinguish between the two," added Riot with a smirk. Ignoring the smart looks from the other two men, he continued, "I finished with the catalog of our supplies. I've sent it to all of our HUD's."
Tens smiled, nodding his head in approval.
"Well done vod, you've earned yourself a day's libo when we get back home," he replied slapping him on the shoulder. The effect on Riot though was quite obvious. He stood a little taller, pride showing in his face.
"Thanks, sir," he said.
Tens and Jumps looked at each other in amusement.
"There's that word again," he mumbled loud enough for Jumps to hear. Both shook their heads and laughed a little before returning to finish their assessment of the planet they were now landing on.
Tens and Jumps went to get the gear required to head out onto the surface, albeit reluctantly. Tens was still unhappy that they had landed on something incapable of sustaining human life. He returned to the cockpit and gave Right'eye some landing advice, "Well, since there doesn't seem to be any life forms, land us a little closer to the two tinnies. We might as well check them out; they could give us a clue as to who put them here."
Right'eye landed the ship behind a small knoll, separating them from the two robots they'd detected. The four soldiers prepared their suits for the short walk, sealed their helmets and grabbed their DC-15s carbines.
#
Tens quickly did an assessment of the planet's surface. It was orange, dim, sandy and similar to Geonosis minus the towering hives full of bloodthirsty Geonosian's.
There it was again, haunting him constantly. The analogy to the one place he would spend the rest of his life trying to forget.
He sighed into his bucket.
Unlike Geonosis though, this planet was cold. Very cold.
"If it wasn't for the below freezing temperature, I would say we were back on Geonosis," stated Right'eye checking his bodysuit's climate control.
Tens ignored the obvious analogy, "Make sure your buckets are sealed tight. We can't spend too much time out in this environment," he reminded the others.
"You don't think the seppies are here do you?" Riot asked nervously as he looked around, stepping around a small boulder.
"What would the Separatist's want with a dead planet like this? Besides, I would have detected them," Jumps said conceitedly before promptly tripping over the same boulder Riot had just avoided; he muttered string of curses as he hit the dirt.
Tens moved forward and grabbed Jumps chest plate, pulling him up to his feet.
"Listen up," in a more authoritative tone, "we are nowhere near Ground Zero. We have limited supplies and a ship leaking coolant. If you two can stop your bickering long enough for us to find out where the Fek we are, I would appreciate it."
Riot mocked Tens behind his back and Jumps pushed his hand hard into his brothers back as he passed, causing him to lose balance slightly.
Tens swung around and stood silent.
Both Jumps and Riot fell in line at the unspoken order.
They collectively headed up to the top of the knoll in front of them.
"Riot, you gotta see this," Tens stated through close circuit comm.
Riot quickly ran up to the others at the top, and saw what they were all staring at.
Below them lay a small valley with two small identical ice filled craters. In each crater was a robot and between them a landing craft.
###
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Stan asked in disbelief, nervously wrenching his hands on the stairway handrail.
"Yeah, I do but I am still working on believing it," replied Josh.
"This... just... isn't possible," Stan continued. In all his years of work nothing could have prepared him for what he was seeing.
"Well, normally I'd agree but..." the kid started before being interrupted by his superior.
"We should tell them, the sooner the better," Stan replied.
"Tell them what exactly?"
Sweat was beginning to flow down Stan's forehead. He knew the drill, report in anything of interest immediately to the director. But it now was 1:20 am, and the thought of phoning in and waking the head of Mission Control made his stomach churn.
Stan rubbed his eyes again and squinted at the screen. Did he just see something land or was it a trick of the eye?
This was his defining moment like the small kid who would spend hours in front of the telescope on the front porch dreaming of finding life amongst the stars.
Clarity or caffeine prevailed and Stan stood tall and picked up the telephone marked red and hesitated slightly before pressing the button.
'Like Hell second shift is going to get the glory for this one,' he thought to himself.
Stan heard the man clear his throat before he used the correct clearance word.
"Sir, this is Stan Laslowski, reporting a bogie landing at O Adelfós Station at 01:22 am. Do you copy?"
Stan put the receiver down and sat heavily into the chair behind him. He fumbled around in his pocket for his Ventolin, and placing it between his lips, depressed the inhaler three times as he breathed in quickly.
Josh watched dumbfounded, finally realizing the enormity of what they had just done, and waited for the morning to unfold like no other.
(Chapter Beta'd and re-written 11-30-13)