//------------------------------// // In The Expanse of Space // Story: Dawn of A New Era // by Darkswirl //------------------------------// Norms are rules defining appropriate and inappropriate behavior within a society. A Hindu peasant in India may be found lying dead of starvation besides perfectly healthy cattle due to the Hindu belief that cattle is sacred. In order to strengthen bonds between clans in Africa, a young Basarwa girl might become engaged to a man she has not met. Roman emperors routinely exiled relatives to small isolated islands for disgracing the family name. Each of these instances reflects cultural norms - ways of behaving in specific situations. Norms help to explain why people in a society or group behave similarly in similar situations, or why cultures have evolved so differently. -From Sociology And You (2008) by Shepard and Greene. "Attention, all crew, we have visual contact. I repeat, we have visual contact, over." came the hazed voice of the mission leader of Flight E01 through the team's radio. As the flight-suit-garbed, bipedal creature floated in zero gravity towards the view port, he placed his gloved hands to the sides and pressed his face against the glass in order to fully appreciate what he was seeing: Before him was a planet that he would have sworn was the Human home world, Earth, had the ship's navigation not placed them within uncharted space. The planet was covered in roughly sixty-five percent water, or some form of liquid, with the remaining percent being landmass - four percent being the planet's ice caps. "It's just us, Michael." replied a softer, feminine voice. "You, Duncan, Emono, and myself. No need to start getting all official on us with the proper wording just because we've reached the target - especially after all we've been through on the four month trip here." "Yea, yea. You know how I get, though, Rochelle." replied the original voice with a slight chuckle. "Duncan, can you get me a reading on the surface? And pull up a map - I want to land as soon as we can." "Aye, Cap'n. Ay'll 'ave it up as soon as th' bloody ship stops try'n ta' figure out where we are, on account'o the sun....Nah, that ain't right..." a Scottish, male voice replied from somewhere else within the ship. Turning away from the view port and the beautiful image of the new, soon to be colony world, Captain Michael S. Harker pushed himself through the air towards one of the nearby computer screen, which immediately pulled up an image of the planet's rotation pattern, along with that of the nearby star and orbiting moon. "Ya see this, Cap'n? Bloody ship thinks the suns' revolvin' around the planet!" the Scottish voice laughed heartily. "Bloody Japs' don't make 'em like their ancestors used ta', ah guess." "Log it in the ships' error report and treat it as a malfunctioning component. Start fixing it after you've sent me the planet's surface, alright?" Michael said dismissively. In all honesty, he was excited and cheerful beyond all belief, but his intensive training as a mission leader in the Humanity Colonization Effort dictated that he had to shed his emotions for the sake of order and formality when undergoing missions. Of course, his training didn't prepare him for the four month long journey that was spent getting to know his hand-picked team personally; down to nearly every last detail. There was Duncan O'Reilly, the ship's Engineer and Technician of Scottish blood, despite hailing from the mining colony world of New Haven. He sported his dark red, newly grown full beard happily while violating HCE regulations, but made up for it by keeping to his daily training regiments while the ships' artificial gravity was online. Then there was Emono Mytsukiano, the team's Biologist and Geologist of Asian descent who hailed from the Human home world of Earth. She kept slim by eating the bare minimum of required food, and constantly brushed her long, dark hair out from in front of her face. Thirdly, there was Rochelle Rosenburg - the team's Medic of African descent who hailed from the lush colony world of Pundi. She followed the rules and regulations of the HCE almost to the letter while keeping her cheerful demeanor present. And finally, there was himself: Michael Harker, the Captain of Flight E01, whose mission was to accurately log the coordinates of the planet, dubbed E1, before linking up with HCE via long distance spaceband and receiving the confirmation to proceed with the mission and land on the planet. He and his team were the first Human beings to see the planet up close since it was discovered twelve years ago. He and his team would also be the first Human beings to set foot on the planet to gather information in order to assess whether or not the planet would be safe for humans to inhabit, and therefore colonize. It was a heavy burden on Michael's body, and he felt as if the survival of the Human race depended on how he went about this mission... "Coordinates logged an' th' map is on her way ta' you, Cap'n. Looks pretty fuckin' neat all th' way up 'ere, in me honest opinion, o'course." Duncan added with a chuckle before his transmission ended normally. "Noted, Duncan." With a drag of his gloved finger against the glowing computer screen, Captain Harker expanded the diagram of the spinning planet with it's nearby star and orbiting moon. Leaning in closely, he read off the small numbers around the figures quietly, calculating equations within his head before gently tapping the largest land mass present on the sphere. The image expanded to reveal the entire continent in full color, showing the land to match environmental conditions similar to that of Earth's. To the north lay blanketed snow and raised mountains, forming a natural barrier against the forested region to the south of them before it ended abruptly in harsh desert. To the near east and west, the land connected with two giant oceans that stretched around the planet before connecting with a different landmass altogether. "We're setting down in grid 9, 27 - just under that mass of clouds. Emono, Rochelle, you're coming with me down to the surface. Duncan, you're staying here. Mind prepping the Eagle for us?" Michael ordered before he clicked off the console and began floating down the corridor in zero gravity. "Everyone else, suit up." Michael spent a few good minutes staring at the limp suit hanging on the wall. It spoke to him of his youth and training, but also of wars against revolutionists which he luckily did not partake in. His suit was the large male version of the HCE C3199T BG Hazard/Space Suit, with olive green colors and a bulky helmet that reminded him of those robots from the twentieth century science fiction movies. The suit's filter and air tank were secured in the front to an expanding metal belt in order to allow easier replacement of a spent canister. And, since his version was that of a Captains', the chest piece donned a metal compartment to keep the filtration system and air supply from being damaged. It seemed like an unfair advantage, especially since his team was... A team, but he knew that the HCE would not listen to his suggestions. The one thing that he was grateful for, however, was the LD Type 87 pistol holstered on the right outer thigh of his suit. He was the only one on board allowed to carry, wield, and operate it in the event of danger. Sure, it would take a second or two to fire, leaving a red beam of light from the barrel of the weapon to the target and giving away your position, but in a tight situation it was invaluable and able to tear a clean hole straight through almost anything for one hundred yards. He was prepared for almost any situation with his Hazard Suit, weapon, and training. So why did he feel as if it was impossible to put on the suit? Why did he feel like he was undeserving of this great honor, to be the first Human being to set foot on the strange new world, hopefully able to support Human life? Was it because he - "Captain, are you coming?" Emono asked concernedly over the two way radio within each team member's earpiece, interrupting Michael's thoughts. With a sad, soft sigh, he reached his hand out and gripped the sleeve of the suit, pulling it towards him and slipping inside. The cabin of the HCE D77-LC sat in relative silence as the ships Captain guided her out of the main ship's, the HCE D42-HC "Falcon", mini hangar. The vast expanse of space met them once more through the tinted windows as the ship turned it's view over the nearby star and focused on the planet. After a few moments of pressing buttons and pulling a lever or two, the ship and its crew found the planet creeping closer and closer... "First things first: Emono, I want you to lead us to wherever you think you'll get the most work done. Then, we'll mark the coordinates on our map and look around a bit. Duncan found lots of vegetation, so we're to assume that this planet is only in it's early stages of life, at least. Don't interact with any of the wildlife, but do log them in the records with a picture. You all remember the ins and outs of your suits and how to utilize its abilities, right?" Michael questioned without turning from the ship's console. "Of course. HCE wanted us to practice every day in 'em. ...Was I the only one that did it?" Rochelle asked awkwardly when no reply came. "Don't worry, Rochelle; I kept myself up to date with our suits. Probably can't say the same for the rest of the team, though." Michael answered with a hidden smile. "I practiced in my suit. Just not...Everyday, though..." Emono said quietly, hoping to add herself in without being heard. If either members heard it, however, they kept their mouths closed as they breached the planets atmosphere. "Descending at 8,046.72 mps, ETA approximately... Sixteen minutes?" Michael asked over the radio to Duncan, who was living life like any other day during the four month trip here. In reality, and as much as he hated it, he knew he was really only on this trip to fix something if it breaks. "Aye, Cap'n, if ya keep yer current speed. Should be passin' through th' mass'o clouds in about two'r three minutes." Duncan came in with the slight sound of a paddle ball in the background. "Roger that, Duncan. Try not to mess with anything while we're gone, alright?" Michael joked as the ship began breaking through the Cirrus cloud layer. "Oh, ya wound me, Cap'n! I'd never even think'o messin' wit anything... Except maybe Emono's stuff, considerin' she's got some rum on board!" Duncan added with a hearty laugh. "You stay out of my room, Duncan, if you want to keep that beard of yours!" Emono jutted in, laughing with the rest of the cabin as the lush land greeted them from below. As the laughter died down, Michael cocked his head slightly to address the crew, not taking his eyes off of the window. "As much fun as it is, I'm turning on the recording devices now, so try and keep everything nice and neat, alright?" "Aye, Cap'n." "Yes, sir!" "Understood." With a smile, Michael turned his full attention back to the window after remotely turning on every suit's mounted video recorder, voice recorder, and camera. The moment he had finished, however, a loud thump could be heard as something suddenly smashed against the ship's window. As Michael veered to the left in order to avoid hitting more of the rapidly approaching black dots, Emono and Rochelle held onto their seats in the back of the cabin and the ship passed through the mass of Stratus clouds. "What the fuck was that?!" Emono questioned, slightly horrified. "Shit... Probably just a bird, or something like it. Damn it..." Michael muttered. "We're nearing the landing site; brace for touchdown and start your mission clocks."