Mission Overview

CSCSS Nomad > B Deck > Galley / Mess Hall
Captain Yoshida took his place at the head of the long, communal table, flanked by SA-Miii, who had seamlessly joined the crew.

"Alright, everyone, I'm sure you all have questions. Grab your trays and gather round. I'll do my best to be as informative and transparent as possible," Yoshida announced, his voice carrying a blend of authority and camaraderie.

The hum of the starship's engines reverberated through the galley as the crew assembled for lunch and a debrief on the upcoming mission. The soft glow of artificial lighting cast a warm ambiance over the room, and the aroma of synthesized food filled the air.

The crew lined up at the food dispensers, filling their trays with a mix of nutrient-rich, vacuum-sealed meals. The clinking of trays and the shuffling leather upholstery accompanied the murmurs of conversation as the crew settled in around the table.

"Our first stop is a forward outpost and carrier vessel, the CSCSS Senku'sha-Maru, where we'll pick up additional engineers and research assistants. So if anyone has second thoughts or any last minute to-do's, that's your last chance before we're headed out together toward the Astryllis-179 star system on the Spinward frontier, about 7 parsecs away. It's a long haul, so we'll be entering cryosleep for the bulk of the trip -- almost four months, but as you know, it will feel like a dream for us," Yoshida continued.

As the crew gathered around the table with their meals, a series of screens above the table flickered to life, displaying a star system.

"Thank you, SA-Miii," Yoshida commended.

"Glad to assist," she replied. The synthetic had already spent a moment to download the known information which she now projected to the displays. She had directly connected to a nearby terminal via a thin, retractable data-cord that extruded from her inner wrist.

"We'll be conducting a comprehensive scan of the star system, looking for anomalies, potential habitable planets, and any other points of interest," Yoshida explained. "From there, we inspect valuable sites. Remember, we have several protocols to follow or we may lose pay, get fined, or end up in trouble with the ICC."

Yoshida pointed to various points on the projection, outlining the key objectives of the surveillance mission providing a concise overview of the mission

Adama looked at the screens and asked, "Any information on the planet make-up from your database?"

"Looks like 13 celestial bodies and an asteroid field. Not much more information than that, except they're all further out from the star, either within the habitable zone or cold zone," replied Captain Yosida to Dr Adama.

Dr. Adama nodded and then asked, "That sounds promising. An asteroid belt usually has promising ore inside it and they sometimes crash on the nearby planets. The odds of a big payday seem to be looking better by the moment."

Alistair Maddox just sits there with his tray of synthetic food, easily eating it. It was better than the rations the USCMC gave you -- had some taste at least.

He listened to the captain's debrief. No questions popped up from his mind. He was mostly there to keep everyone safe and alive. No reason to pipe up on a matter that wasn’t his own. He was a hired bodyguard. Someone to keep the eggheads safe.

Elisabet took a sip from her cup of orange juice. She turned her head from the screens to Captain Yoshida. "Captain, do we know how many people we are picking up from the Senku'sha-Maru? Or has the final figure not yet been decided?"

“We can only comfortably accommodate about four or five more working bodies between these cabins. Any more than that and we’ll have to... improvise,” replied the Captain with a hint of humor in his tone. Not fully expressing his insinuation of what that could mean.

Dr. Adama nibbled on his food. As he expected it was not as good as the food on the last station they were at, but he had eaten far worse when he was on the streets. He found with a bit of seasoning he could make any food decent so he waited till everyone was looking at the ones talking as he slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a small season shaker to add to his food before he causally closed it and put it in his pocket again. Then he began eating again as he listened to the others voice their concerns.

Rita followed the crowd, food, seating, eating, listening. The double take that Adama got when he spiced his food was one of awe.

The brilliance, the masterful art of subterfuge. The jealousy. Rita narrowed her eyes at the man and made plans. Not to bring him down, but plans on what to grow in hydroponics now.

Of course outwardly her deep thoughts manifested in a glare, directed at Adama, who really did nothing more than be a muse...

"Flora expected at the sight?" Rita finally snapped out of her thought, totally unaware of how it may have looked to others.

“High probability with that many planets in a habitable zone. That’s one of the things we’re hoping for. We’ll know better when we get to the system. For now, let’s get food in our bellies and start undocking procedures.” replied Captain Yoshida.

Eldon Blaire listened and observed with great interest as he began to eat his meal. He had traveled a bit in the past (though nothing like the trip they had in store for them) and had endured far more basic rations than these.

He spotted Dr. Adama seasoning his food and almost regretted focusing on packing booze and smokes for the trip instead... almost. Looking over at Maddox he remembered gambling with soldiers and crew members on a prior long haul for petty items such as cigarettes and those little bottles of hot sauce that many military rations contained. He'd won a rather large pile of them one night before getting a little too sloshed and losing it all. Maybe Maddox had hoarded some of those little hot sauce bottles, as many military folks liked to do. Heck... maybe Adama had extra seasoning and he could barter for some.

Eldon glanced at Rita when the captain mentioned improvising to accommodate more crew... does that mean sharing bunks? With a sigh, he considers this wishful thinking. The captain more likely meant working and sleeping in shifts, so that when you went to sleep it was in bedding that someone else had just spent 8 hours sweating and drooling on. Ugh!

The prospect of a final chance at interacting with some semblance of civilization before jumping into the unknown pleased him greatly. He'd have to take full advantage of that to try acquiring anything else he wanted before the long haul.

The captain's answer to Rita's question about flora pretty much told Dr. Blaire everything he expected to learn regarding fauna. He gave her an appreciative grin... this was going to be an interesting voyage.

"Alright then, crew. Once you're all finished with lunch, it's time to officially launch the Nomad. SA-Miii and Vieregg, I'll need you on the bridge to pilot and work sensors. Garrett. Sestero. Man life support and calibrate cryo systems. Get everything online that needs it. Maddox, we won't likely need them on our way to the outpost, but check weapons and defense systems. Science team... let me know if you need anything as you… do science. Ms. Maciel... Go easy with your evaluations." he smiled at that last part.

With that, he ate up his meal and headed to the bridge with a mug of coffee.