Hundreds of years have passed since humanity ruined the Earth.
But, while billions of humans died along with the planet, perishing on the blasted husk of their homeworld, that was not the end of the species. No; like most forms of vermin, they found a way to survive, even thrive, despite the destruction.
Exactly how it came about is lost to history, but what is known is that somehow, in the desperation of those final days, the fractured nations of Earth managed to work together. And what emerged from that unlikely collaboration was a plan to save as many people as possible. A fleet of spaceships, a new home among the stars.
The Armada.
For centuries, humanity has been an itinerant species, nomads in space. Most have never touched the surface of a planet. Only a ship’s Officers ever see any of the worlds it docks at. For everyone else, the galaxy beyond the closed environment of their ship might as well be nothing more than the fairytales of Old Earth.
Well, almost everyone. There are exceptions.
Every so often, a smaller ship full of young people will be sent from one Armada vessel to another, part of a plan to maintain genetic diversity. This is a chance to send out the brightest and best of a ship’s youth as ambassadors, to bring honour to both their old and new homes. Or, at least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.
In practice, it’s usually more a matter of getting rid of troublemakers: those who shirk their own duties, disrupt those of others, or who are simply in some way inconvenient. The thinking seems to be that if the flight doesn’t frighten them into compliance, well, once they get there, they’re someone else’s problem anyway.
It was supposed to be just another routine exchange. But this time, when the Armada ship Manifest Destiny sent out their latest batch of young ne’er-do-wells, it didn’t make it to the planned destination. Instead, the pod shuttle crash-landed on a nearby planet, stranding the survivors away from the Armada.
An accident? Well, that’s what they thought at first, and yet… some things just don’t add up. Certain oddities suggest that this might have been planned. What was the First Officer thinking when she ordered the pod to launch? Why? And, most importantly of all, can the young people survive for long enough to figure it out?
Hosted and narrated by:
Mysterious Stranger (Furare)
Started 03/25/16.
Scenes played: 8
License: Community License
