FRS Chpt 2

==Falcon Rising - Chapter 2 -==
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===Wake Up Call===
3015
Location: Unknown Star system, Deep Periphery
I hate that thing," I coughed violently as I glared at the cryo-pod while rubbing away the cold.
 
Grabbing the clothing I had stored away in this section of the Last of Us, I got dressed, the cargo pants and flannel bringing some warmth as the socks and boots insulated my feet from the cold.
 
"That's better," I poured a small cup of my precious coffee stash and sipped at it as the warm liquid began to heat my body. "Now it's time to check and see how the Chickens fared."
Leaving the Dropship, I walked the quarter mile, nodding to myself as I saw how the wild versions of the crops I had been growing took over my previously nicely kept fields.
 
"And there are the chickens," I absentmindedly noted that they had increased in overall size before pushing on into the cabin. "Holy shit! I stumbled backward as a chicken the size of a turkey looked at me from where it had been eating away at a small bit of feed that I had left in the cabin before I went into stasis.
 
"You're definitely going to be dinner," I paused and considered the chicken. "After you've gotten some kids started. Then you'll be a meal, probably two," I clapped my hands together and slipped some gloves on before grabbing the chicken and throwing it out of my hut.
 
"I'm gonna have to air this place out," I looked at the chicken crap all over the place. "Gross," I pulled the blanket off of the bed. "Nope, I'm burning the blankets. I've got more."
 
After making a quick mask, I stepped inside and opened up a window. Then, grabbing a broom I began sweeping all of the crud that had been tracked in out of the house, the door and windows propped open as I began cleaning out the years of dust and excrement built up.
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===Peaceful Life but Alone===
"So, a lack of any major predators has meant that the chickens were able to grow to an extraordinary size," I bit into the fried chicken breast that was in my hands. "And the flavor is like nothing I've had before. I mean, it's obviously still chicken, but something in their diet is giving it a better flavor."
 
I shrugged and continued eating my meal. The rest of the chicken pieces were safely stored in the refrigerated section of the cabin I had built. It was the one place that had been free from the dung and other filth I had cleaned up over the last few days.
 
"The Cabin has held up incredibly well in the ten years I was in stasis barring the nests the chickens built into it," I continued dictating to the voice recorder on my phone. "There isn't a lot I'll have to reinforce, but what little damage there is can be easily fixed. Then I'll clear out the beginnings of the field this week and then go explore some more. I've got some fairly decent maps, but I want to see if there's any chance some of the Manassas' crew took one of the small craft that was missing from the hanger and settled down here. Getting to spend time with some fellow humans would do a lot of good."
 
I stood up and brought my dishes to my small sink before washing them and setting them aside to dry.
 
"Five years of farming, and ten years of stasis," I looked at the markings I had made on the wall to indicate the months that had gone by. "I think I made the right decision to come here instead of trying to get the Manassas working. A peaceful life isn't a bad thing, after all."
 
I walked outside and climbed up onto the Bobby B, laying out on the shoulder and staring up at the unfamiliar stars as I tried to find a singular star out of the millions in the sky.
 
"I've traveled alone, made my way on my own. Searching, but not knowing where. The smell and the pines find the sea and the sings. Say's my place is right over there," I let the song trail off, a couple of tears falling down my face as I mumbled the last bit. "Who says you can't go home again. Listen my friend, I know that you can. So come plant your feet and forget how to roam. Remembering what it's like, to call a place home."
 
A song that pulled me back to happier times, times spent with my family. Of smoking cigars and drinking whiskey with my dad and brothers-in-law. Of working on the farm when needed and my dad showing me how to work on different parts of my car.
 
With a heavy sigh, I finally stood up and climbed down off of the Bobby B, opening the door to my cabin and taking off my boots before stripping down to a pair of shorts and closing the door behind me.
 
I moved over to the bed and eased myself in with a groan of relief, pulling the SLDF standard-issue blanket over me before laying down and closing my eyes, slowly breathing and letting myself drift off to sleep.
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===Surveying the Land===
"Come on, Bobby B," I climbed up onto the Warhammer, clearing off the ivy-like vines that had grown onto the legs of the war machine. The green SLDF standard paint blending in fairly well with the greenery around it. "Let's get you awake and running. We've got some exploring to do."
 
Running through the steps, I brought the mech online and grinned as a now familiar voice was heard. 
<{"Power online, sensors online, weapons online, all systems nominal."}>
 
"Thanks, Betty," I slipped the cooling vest on and plugged it in. "Let's go on an adventure."
 
Booting up the mapping software that was included in the mech's programs, I looked over the old maps I had taken before going to sleep and nodded. It was time to see if there was anything else worth finding on this planet out in the middle of nowhere.
Flipping the weapons suite offline, I pushed the mech into a moderate pace and speed and began to retrace my previous mapping session steps. I wanted to know everything about my new home."
 
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"Well, we've got some sort of mineral deposits," I said as I flipped through the magscan. "No clue what they are, but they're there."
 
Making a note on the map, I flipped through a few different vision settings before the thermals picked up something that made me grin. So there were predators on this planet. They just lived in a different area than my cabin.
 
"Looks like I get to have a bear skin rug," I cycled the mech down into an idle before grabbing a rifle and slinging it over m shoulder. "And where there's a predator, there's a prey animal around."
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===Unexpected prey in the Wilderness===
I followed the massive brown bear from a safe distance as it seemingly tracked some sort of prey animal, the five meter long bear pausing periodically to sniff the ground and other areas before continuing on.
 
"What are you tracking?" I asked from my perch in a tree that overlooked the entire area, using the rifle's scope to try and see if there were anything ahead of the bear that I was missing.
 
"Oh," I removed my eye from the scope to look at a giant elk. "Looks like we're eating good for a while, I tucked the Mauser 960 laser rifle into my shoulder and lined up the sights, gently squeezing the trigger before swapping to the bear. "I'm gonna need Bobby B," I muttered as I turned to go grab the Warhammer. The equipment I had slung over its shoulder before leaving would be needed for this.
 
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"Whelp, I'm pretty sure that hands would have been a better option," I smirked as the two animals hung from the 'Hammer's shoulders. "But I think this works."
 
"I need a picture," I made sure to get a solid picture of both animals and their comparative sizes to the 'mech. "No one would believe me back home. They'd think it was photoshopped or something."
 
Climbing up the ladder and back into the cockpit of the Bobby B, I began a slow walk back to my camp. I had some new meat to try, and I still had plenty of spices to work with.
 
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