Chapter 2

The wake-up call was a torturous, high-pitched ringing that filled my room and disrupted my deep sleep dreaming. I wasn’t sure if I would get used to the rude awakening by the end of the assignment. The awful noise persisted in each pod until the inhabitant had not only risen from bed, but completed dressing as well. I cursed at the control panel fixed to the wall across from the bed and the robotic monitor within that succeeded in its mission to promptly chase me from my pod. It was a great method of assembling the crew quickly, but I questioned its impact on our morale from the beginning.

In total there were twelve from our spaceship, Elemental 1, four of whom were space pilots and crew responsible solely for the welfare of the ship and its passengers. The other eight of us were joined by five others who had arrived a week earlier to set up the command station, the only human footprint on Tegra 7 at that point. Three guardians, three medics, two engineers, and five scientists; thirteen total. Our small party was the entirety of the second exploration expedition to Tegra 7, and the first to set foot beyond the perimeter of the command station.

When all thirteen members had assembled in the control hub, there was complete silence, each individual attentively awaiting their assignment for the day. I could feel the nervous energy without much effort, and I knew I was contributing to it. My eyes wandered from person to person, assessing my colleagues by their appearances and body language. At the far end of the table sat Dr. Jennings, flanked by two older men dressed in clean, white medic suits. They were whispering to each other across Jennings who was making no effort to hide the distasteful scowl on her face. I caught myself smiling for a second until one of the men looked straight across the table at me. He paused for a moment, and then shook his head before resuming his quiet conversation. My gaze moved onwards before resting on a pair of red-haired men that looked no older than 20. Identical twins, both scientists by their look, both transfixed on the screen of a pocket computer set on the table between them. IEI standards required scientists to hold a PhD, with no exceptions. I immediately assumed that these two were geniuses.

After another minute or two of waiting and a hologram of Tegra 7 appeared in the middle of the rectangular table and a video screen shimmered to life on the wall. Several IEI executives appeared on the screen as the sound of their voices filled the room:

“Welcome to Tegra 7 Expedition B. Today’s assignment will focus on the surveillance of the surface and lithosphere of the moon using BH4 mapping probes. You must program the BH4s after completing an initial sweep of the surrounding terrain to ensure that the probes do not encounter obstacles to which they have not be programmed around. For now, a radius of 100km around the command station will be targeted. Further exploration may not be required for this expedition depending on the diversity discovered.”
                The rest was a blur to me, my attention quickly dissipated. It did not matter though, the information was only critical to the scientists who were responsible for carrying through with the executives’ orders throughout the expedition. The scientists were in charge, and they would tell me what to do when required. My job was simple, listen to the scientists, learn the characteristics of the landscapes, observe the behaviour of the native life, and stun anything that initiated an attack on the crew or any of our equipment.

Luckily the morning assembly was brief. Within the next hour our group was divided into three teams of four with one scientist remaining behind. Gathered in the loading bay, we geared up in protective cover suits, gravity boots, utility belts, supply packs and four-man speeders. My companions for the day were the twin scientists, Edward and James Keel, and Dr. Borzinski, the medic that didn’t shake his head at me. One by one we filed into the speeder through the small opening at the rear, filling the gaps between us with equipment. Finally, with the engine humming quietly underneath us, the speeder jumped to life and screamed up and out of the loading bay.

The world around us had little resemblance with the dark, hazy nights. Sunlight shone brightly, highlighting the vibrant reds and oranges throughout the forest like autumn on Earth. Clouds of small green birds scattered as the speeder cruised above the treetops and giant giraffe-like lizards turned their long necks to see what had disturbed the early morning tranquility. My excitement was visibly showing. If my nose wasn’t pressed against the window, my head was turning left-to-right in an attempt to see everything that flew by beneath us. The other three sat motionless, staring straight ahead and waiting for the autopilot to deliver us to our designated drop-off. I didn’t mind, I was not ashamed of my behaviour and I thought it was a shame that the others did not share in my enjoyment.

It was not long however until the speeder had reached a velocity that blurred everything we shot past. At that point I sat back in my seat and closed my eyes, picturing the images I had just witnessed while wondering what other mysteries I would uncover today.

A few minutes later, the speeder slowed down and descended gracefully to rest at the centre of a small clearing bordered by the fiery forest. Tall, pale yellow grass swayed beneath the speeder until the perpetual humming came to an end. Then the rear door burst open with a loud puff and our seat belts released with a click. 

Author's Note

Please refer to the first chapter as well. I appreciate any and all feedback and I promise that I will review pieces of writing from everyone who takes the time to comment on my work. Thank you!

Reviews

[Susan McCaskill]

Very descriptive chapter! Again, watch your use of words: "four of which" should be "four of whom" because you are referring to people, not objects. Looking forward to Chapter Three.

[fwvalidus]

Ah yes of course thanks!

[Ashley Mangual]

Ooooo, can't wait to see what happens next! :D Please keep going, fwvalidus. And those other three, Edward, James, and Dr. Borzinski sound like bores if they don't enjoy the new environment like William does! New life on a new planet should be exciting; I know I'd be! >:P (and maybe freaked out.. o.o)
Very nice! :D

[fwvalidus]

You seem to be my number one fan! I love the excitement you bring and I am so thankful for it!

[Ashley Mangual]

I'm glad u feel that way! And I am loving it so far! :D