Thread: New Earth (Aphotic Intentions & I)

The pod she arrived in had landed gently in the center of what had been, more recently, a shallow pool of water in the middle of a forest clearing. The water had been all but emptied in recent years, the sight of a long pipe and pump system which was lying nearby was the obvious cause of its drainage. Signs of civilization, humanity, or at least that was what any sane person would hope. There was no other sign of humanity nearby, other than the occasional footprint in the dried up bed of mud that was her pod's landing zone. Behind her the pod's proximity alarm was beeping with a soft but slow rhythm - the display inside however showed no signs of life larger than a dog within a square mile and upon closer inspection it looks like one of the antennas that would be attached to the sensor was snapped off. The forest nearby sang with the sound of what would be analogous to insect life back on earth and the woods, from what she would be able to see were thick and overgrown. The trees were closer together and the underbrush rustled with small creatures here and there. There was a light wind, almost pleasant - but it was a bit colder than one would appreciate on a day like today, despite the sun which beamed down on the surface of New Earth, their Terra Nova. For all intents and purposes the foliage looked similar to what it would be like on earth with the exception of coloration. The leaves were a dark green but tinted with a hint of violet, likely due to exposure from the suns harmless radiation and its gentle violet hue. But above the treeline is where the similarities of Earth ended and Terra Nova's obvious extraterrestrial indications began. The amount, coloration, and size of the moons which hung lazily in the daytime sky were stunning. This planet boasted 8 moons, and during the summer months they were rarely able to be seen. But here, near the end of the summer and the beginning with the winter almost all of them hung in the sky, nearly blotting out the light from the sun. It wasn't completely dark yet, but it was certainly dimmer while still bright than it should have been when summer was in full swing. This cycle of the moons lasted for nearly the entire winter on this side of the planet. The winter darkness, while an intimidating factor in the natural cycles of the planet, was not the cause of the chill that was beginning to come on. In a highly elliptical orbit and with a large wobble on its axis, the temperature was quickly lowering and according to her pods readout she had but a week before the winter would begin in full swing. Somewhere near, though unknown, machines whirred and beeped as lights began to issue from their cold steel frames. Inside, deeper in the planet's cavernous tunnel system this room with the machines was now fully lit. It was obviously the end of a cavern with only one entrance into the area, though that entrance was covered with a heavy steel door, the metal embedded into stone walls. In the middle of the room was a machine shaped similar to a casket, with a hiss the lid was pushed upward mere inches and a soft mist issued out from its edges before the lid lifted further and moved over to the side, exposing its contents to the chill air of the cavern. A naked figure of a man lay there, his eyes twitching under his pale lids as he began to stir. After a few more moments, and the sound of more machines and the light from screens coming on, the body stirred and woke with a start. The man sat up with a groan, and held his head for a moment before standing from his capsule and shaking gently on his feet. Goddamnit he grumbled under his breath to the darkness. He turned to look at one of the screens that had been attached to the capsule, and after saving the readings on the computer it was attached to he ripped the sensors which were attached to his temple and chest from his body. He slumped on over to the other end of the small cavern and reached into a box of syringes. Taking one from the box with his right, he picked up a vial with his left hand and pulled the clear liquid into the needle and hurriedly injected it into himself. He shivered a bit and sat down in the chair nearby, nude and cold. Nearby another computer hummed to life and he turned his head to look at the screen. The monitor showed the trajectory of a pod that had landed nearby on the surface. He stared for a moment before sighing and pushing his chair back. There's work to do... Isaac said with a sigh.