...'neath the vault of the heavens, 'ere we depart....

[Brian]

It is evening on Landon when your vehicle arrives.  Congress spared no expense, getting each crewman a ride from their respective hotels in the capital of Marrel in a private limousine.

   Each crewman was also sharing their ride in the car three military figures, not counting the drivers.  The smartglass windows have been opaqued, so no one can see in, but no one is entirely comfortable looking at the two figures who sit facing backwards.

   Smooth dark faceplates that seem less to reflect light and more to devour it hide the faces of these ... men?  Women?  Newly fabricated military robots?  It's difficult to say.  Their armor is bulky, looking like long, flat slats all strapped together with a wire mesh, but one which effectively conceals all skin from sight.  They are still enough to be mistaken for mannequins, even when the cars take turns, or rise somewhat less than smoothly over a curb taken a bit too abruptly.  Still, the slug-throwing projectors strapped to forearm and hip, and the bulkier canister of 'fire and forget' rockets look authentic, more so than in the trids and flatcasts.

   Sitting adjacent to each crewman is a member of the military in full formal wear, the lines and folds of his (or her) suit cleanly pressed.  In stoic voices, these men and women dispense final warnings to each of the crew about the dangers of deep space, and the importance of cooperation on this mission.

   The firepower seems a bit much; while the armed men remain in the car, shifting only slightly to turn their heads a bit from one side to another, there are equally well armed soldiers in sparse groups at your destination.  These soldiers are completely surrounding the Palace of Acknowledgement, where Grand Attorney Haikes himself will preside over the speeches, the dinner, and then the dance to follow.

   Uncomfortable as some crew obviously are in the suits and dresses that Congress has required you to wear to this event, no one complains; the show of force is discomforting in a much more worrisome manner.  Under a light spatter of rain, you find yourselves escorted into the main hall, along with the rest of the auxiliary crew.

   The First Crew is already there, standing about in the large hall.  The hall is shaped like a six-pointed star, nearly three hundred yards across, and rising to a dome above the center two-hundred feet high.  Men in less imposing black suits stand about the inner points of the stars in groups of three, surveying all impassively.

   Here and there various members of the three Tribes circulate among the crew, offering their congratulations and nodding knowingly to people they don't actually know.  In the far corners of the room, benches line the doorways.  Through one of these lies the dining hall, somewhat less grand than the chamber of stars, but still very well appointed.  Columns of stone from Demeter support a crystalline dome of what can only be carefully pieced together deposits from Purgatory.  Corvallis likely had their hands in the dome as well, for when Grand Attorney Haikes enters the room, it changes from a soft, cloudy blue into a jet black surface, flecked with twinkling white stars.

   The Grand Attorney himself is getting on in years, now having just completed his fiftieth year in office.  But at the age of ninety four, he still walks with quiet dignity, not relying on a cane, and managing a pace that doesn't show his age.

   His immaculate black suit also shines briefly with the stars from the dome, and all have by now fallen silent.  The crowd parts and falls back, the media-relay crew among the last, giving way almost reluctantly, capturing the aging politician in all his stately glory.

   When he reaches the center of the dome, standing beneath the vault of shining stars, and atop the Seal of Congress, he begins to speak, and his voice reverberates through the entire hall:

   "I would like to welcome the crew of the Eidolon," he says gravely, his face solemn.  "It is a proud day to know that we are united in our cause.  It is a prouder day still to see the foremost product of our engineering," he says, causing the majority of Angels to nod knowingly, "designed and augmented by the best of our programmers," he adds, causing a number of Selkens of varying builds to nod as well, "and crewed by the best men and women in our system.

   "We have chosen our best, and our brightest," he continues, inclining his head to the area where the First Crew stands.  "We have offered up the most magnificent crowning achievement that Congress can ever hope to forge without the glory of the Ancients.  And for what cause?"

   The crowd, already very muted, falls silent at this question, all eyes turning to the Grand Attorney expectantly.

   One corner of Haikes's mouth twitches upward in a smile.  "To go forth and seek out our long-lost brethren.  To add to our fold that which had been lost."  A murmur breaks the delicate silence at this, questioning voices running through the crowd, none directed at Haikes himself.  "To unite all of humanity under the banner of kinship."

   Turning around, facing the other half of the crowd in the hall and leaving the media crew to scurry for a better angle, he continues, "And perhaps, it will be that we find no living brothers and sisters to welcome home.  But we are willing to undertake this risk because we have the ability to cross that infinite sea of stars and still bring our best and our brightest home.

   "And even if there is nothing there, we will have proven that we can reclaim those lost stars, of so long ago."  The murmuring rises into a frenzied babble at this.  Haikes smiles quietly to himself, and walks away, saying no more.

   As he steps off the Seal of Congress the black-suited men from the periphery converge, driving the media crews away and escorting him out of the hall.  Shortly after that, the dome turns a gentle gold, washed with red; bathed in the light of an artificial sunset.

   Attendants emerge from the dining hall and usher the media crews away, inviting all else to enter the hall proper and eat, apparently unconcerned with Haikes's announcement.

   You are then left sitting together, uncomfortably aware that as calm as Haikes was, you've never before had a chance to meet most of the crew you're working with.  A quiet waiter approaches after you've been seated, and murmurs an ancient question to you: "Chicken, fish, or vegetarian, Sir/Ma'am?"

[Bjorn]

Looking around the room, Finn picks an older man at random from the crowd, and points at him.  "I'll take whatever he's havin', right?" She grins cheekily at the waiter, her manner and her appearance combining to suggest a twelve-year old tomboy.

Brushing her short blonde hair back behind one ear, she looks around the table.  "Murphy wept, that was a shi-- lot of show, waznit?" she comments cheerfully.  "Bored seven kinds of hell outta me."  She glances down at the formal dress she's been forced into, and rolls her eyes.  "If they'd tol' me about all this rigamarole, mighta thought twice, y'know?"

[Dracos]

"Uh...chicken, thanks."  Kelly kept his head down mainly, not really comfortable with these crowds.

Dracos

[Ebiris]

Albert cranes his neck uncomfortably to look over in the direction of the captain's table. Is that fish... or chicken? I can't tell at all from here... Uh oh, I better decide fast or they'll think I'm a blithering idiot who can't even decide what to have for dinner!

"Pork!" he blurts out.

[Brian]

The waiter nods solemly and walks away with Finn and Kelly's orders.  Another waiter looks at Albert oddly, and says surreptiously, "Vegetarian it is," stealing a conspicous glance at the captain's table and nodding significantly.

At this same table, a young Congressional woman with very fair skin and shoulder-length light brown hair raises an eyebrow.  "So you're one of the crew, then?" she clarifies, looking at Finn speculatively.  "My father said that the screening and security process took forever; how bad was it really?"

The room is filled with about ten large circular tables, each of which seats twenty people.  This suggests that there's eighty people in this room who are apparently just here for the hell of it and not actually going on the mission.

A burly Selken -- probably a Demeterian to judge by his short height and broad shoulders -- at your table with a sleepy expression mumbles something about vegitarian to the waiter.  He then sighs moodily, scratching at the tattoo on his earlobe that plunges below the collar and looking towards the table where the First Crew sits.

Their table is roughly in the center, and you can see Seraph Kim Landys, the looking archly at Dragon Hodges Meyer, as the Selken goes on in a thin, uneven voice about the masterpiece of construction that the A.I. is.  The two Congressional men between Kim and Hodges exchange a speculative glance -- it's difficut to tell if they're crew or just guests, but judging by their bored expressions, they couldn't really care less about the conversation.

Coughing pointedly, Attorney Marcus Andrews pointedly changes the subject.  It's difficult to hear his voice from his table over the crowd, as he speaks gently, but the gist of his words seem to suggest that both Seraph and Dragon should be quiet, as the mission would be nothing without Congressional funding.  This earns him a number of cool stares from his non-congressional crewmates at the table, and the toast he suggests afterwards is half-hearted.

Scratching his head and sighing, a wiry Congressional man in a suit that's almost too small for him at his own table mutters, "I don't know about that, Miss," to the Congressional woman who addressed Finn.  "Now that the media casters are gone, I don't entirely mind saying that I think the First Crew wasn't screened well enough at alll?"

The brown-haired woman titters in polite nervous laughter at this and says, "Oh, you should not say such things!  But tell me, was it hard to agree to give up forty years of your life for this mission?"

[Bjorn]

"I ain't givin' up squat," points out with a lop-sided grin.  "Ain't like I'm goin' to be livin' shorter for havin' done it, right?  'Less I eat a rock on a walk, or get et by green beasties, of course."  She shrugs, leaning back in her chair, and reaching out for her water glass.  "That's the way life is, right?  You takes yer chances, and you hope fer the pay-off.  An' this is a pretty good pay-off, wot?"  She winks at the brown-haired woman.

[Brian]

"Ah, of course," the woman says nodding, looking somewhat dissapointed with this question, but quickly masking it.  "You, there," she says looking suddenly at Albert.  "What about you?  Why did you choose to sign on?"

[Ebiris]

"Yes... I said vegetarian," Albert mumbles awkwardly as the waiter departs.

Listening in to the conversation around him, he perks up when addressed. "Well why wouldn't I?" he asks, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "It's the opportunity of a lifetime - to leave the tired old routine and strike out into the unknown, seeking out danger and adventure, seeing sights unknown to human eyes," he seems to be getting rather into his spiel as he concludes with what he thinks is a dashing smile, "To boldly go where no man has gone before."

[Brian]

The brown-haired congressional woman sighs wistfully, her eyes going distant.  "That's so noble!" she gushes, fully turning her attention away from Finn.  "The human spirit of discovery -- you know, my father was the Attorney that appealed the decision to have the flight go unmanned."

[Bjorn]

"Ah, cheers.  Say thanks t' him for me, then," Finn interjects, blissfully unaware of the woman's not-so-subtle attempt to cut her out of the conversation.  "Workin' the Eidolon's a lot better'n any ovver job I had goin'."

[Ebiris]

"Really?" Albert leans forward, working his memory to try and recall if he knows who said attorney is. "Then everyone on this crew - no, every human alive, owes him a great debt. I mean, can you imagine; a machine exploring the unknown with no concept of the human drive to expand ourselves? It'd just spend all its time cataloguing space dust or something ridiculous."

[Brian]

The woman titters in laughter at this, agreeing, "Oh, so true!  But tell me -- what was your name, Sir?  I'm Sally Thorne, daughter of Attorney Thorne."  Glancing at Finn briefly, she adds, "My Genetic Merit rating is seventeen."

This draws glances from the nearby Congressionals, as they look at Sally in surprise for a moment, before turning away and falling back into their own conversations.

Coughing quietly, the Selken at the table says, "We do owe your father a debt, Mrs. Thorne--"

"Miss," she corrects.

One of the Selken's eyebrows twitches slightly higher for a moment before moving back into place.  "Miss Thorne, then," he says lightly, offering a forced smile.  "We owe your father a debt.  I think a computer would manage the job of exploration without any trouble at all...."  At this, Sally nearly pouts, looking like she plainly doesn't need this brute interjecting his stupid reality in her perfectly servicable fantasy.  "...but if our brothers await us in the stars, how could we ask a computer to greet them for us?  And would be build a machine to shake the hands of our new friends?"  Sally relaxes at this, and studies the Selken for a moment before deciding he too can be dismissed.  Turning back to Albert, she asks, "What was your name, then?"

[Ebiris]

Albert puffs up his chest a bit. "Albert Riley, at your service. It's a distinct pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Thorne."

[Brian]

Reaching into her purse, Sally winks and offers her dance card to Albert.

Ignoring the airhead, the Selken nods to Finn.  "I am looking forward to this expedition, as well, perhaps for different reasons, but I believe that we will all benefit from it.  If it's not rude to introduce myself, I am Eric S`on-D`urth."  He grimaces at that, and before anyone else can speak, hastilly tacks on, "Please call me Eric."

[Bjorn]

"Finn Ezekiel," Finn replies easily, "an' you can call me wotever gets my attention."  She winks again, and then laughs.  "An' don' get me wrong," she adds, "I'm lookin' forward to this trip, too.  Ain't nothin' I like better'n' bein' onboard -- an' this is the best ship ever, right?"