//------------------------------// // A Brave New World // Story: Dawn of A New Era // by Darkswirl //------------------------------// Beliefs are ideas about the nature of reality. Beliefs can be true or false. The Romans believed Caesar Augustus to be a god; the Tanala, a hill tribe of Madagascar, believed that the souls of their kings passed into snakes. During World War Two, many Germans believed that hanging pictures of Adolf Hitler on their wall would prevent the walls from crumbling during bombing raids. We would certainly consider these beliefs to be false. In contrast, other beliefs - such as the belief that the human eye can distinguish over seven million colors and the belief that no intelligent life exists on Mars - are supported by factual evidence. We consider these to be true. Beliefs are important because people base their behavior on that they believe, regardless of how true or false the belief is. -From Sociology And You (2008) by Shepard and Greene. Mission Time: 00:17, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 13:44) "Touchdown in three, two, one... Touchdown confirmed. Do you copy, Duncan?" Michael's voice came in from over the radio. Duncan, happily comfortable with his feet propped up on a console and arms folded behind his head, nodded softly. "Aye, Cap'n. Read ya loud'n clear." "Alright. We'll start setting up a camp and then keep you updated on our position as Emono figures out where she wants to start. Is that situation with the broken module fixed, yet?" the Captain asked. "Nay, Cap'n. But don't you worry, now, Ol' Duncan'll 'ave it back, up'n runnin' like nothin' ever 'appened to it 'fore you all get back." Duncan promised as he lifted his feet off of the console and walked away, remembering to clip his earpiece into his ear. "So, what's she look like all th' way down there?" "Have you ever been to earth, Duncan?" Emono questioned. "Nay, can't say I 'ave. Always preferred th' cold barren wasteland of New 'aven, if ya can believe that." the Scotsman replied with a smile as he knelt on the ground beside a computer screen and began unscrewing the control panel underneath. "Well, your ancestors as Scotsmen found it pleasant enough. Apparently, it was very cold and harsh there, as well, with lots of hills. Mostly grass, but a few forests here and there dotted the country side. It's kind of like that, except less hills." Emono continued, recounting the information she had read from old Earthian geology books she had brought on the trip for fun. "Sounds nice, but I'll always prefer rock'n stone ta grass'n trees. More things ta break, and more satisfaction from breaking 'em." Duncan laughed. "How ironic for someone who's on this mission to fix things." Rochelle added, making the whole team laugh before Duncan returned to the wires and Michael to his task... Mission Time: 00:23, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 13:50) "So, what are we looking for, Emono?" Rochelle questioned as she stepped over a small pile of rocks, bringing up the rear as Michael held the center and Emono led. Emono, in the mean time, was fiddling with a hand held scanner, waving it around gently in the space before her. "Right now, we're looking to see what the atmospheric conditions are and if they're stable enough to support life. Obviously, that's been proven slightly," Emono said, turning to glare at the Captain. "But we don't know if it'll be safe for Humans." "And then?" Rochelle continued. "And then, we'll start testing the plant life for their composition, keeping in mind-" Emono began to explain before the scanner began to buzz and beep with the results. "Well, I'll be damned. 73.08% nitrogen, 22.94% oxygen, 0.94% argon, 0.041% carbon dioxide, and about 0.98% water vapor. Just a fraction off from Earth's current conditions, but it'll do." Emono replied, before squinting at the screen. Sensing her confusion, Michael approached and peered over her shoulder. "What is it?" "I have no idea. The scanner is picking up some element that isn't on any of our lists - 3% of it fills the atmosphere, but I don't know what it is, so I can't tell if it'll be deadly or not." Emono explained, tapping the side of the hand held device to try and make it correct a possible error. To her dismay, the machine did nothing except hold the same numbers on its screen. With a slight, embarrassed cough, Rochelle lowered her hands from the side of her helmet, no longer wishing to be free of her suits' bindings. "Suits stay on for the entire mission unless inside the Eagle, and the door is closed. Do I make myself clear?" Michael ordered sternly, to which both members nodded curtly before Emono led them off once more into the unknown, further and further away from the ship... Mission Time: 01:15, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 15:13) It gently poked the side of the strange metal thing - not cold like most metal things, but not hot, either. It seemed adjusted to the natural temperature surrounding it, despite it being obviously foreign. It poked again, waiting for something to happen. What was this thing? Where had it come from? What was its purpose? It was both menacing and yet appeared to be seeking attention - like it wanted to be studied and questioned and prodded. But what did it do? Was it a building, meant to house and store? It doubted that, due to the strange architecture. Was it a vehicle of some sort, like a covered, protected cart? It doubted that, too, because it saw no wheels, and that theory did not explain the strange... Arms? Jutting out from the side. If only It could get inside the thing, It was sure It would be able to determine it's purpose... A twig snapped nearby, sending It dashing into the bushes in fear for being found by whatever this thing belonged to. And there, It sat; waiting with stifled breathes in anticipation for the reveal and eventual satisfied curiosity... It did not wait long. Mission Time: 00:46, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 14:13) "I'd say this is as good a place as any to start working, Should be a lot of plant life to study, here." Emono offered helpfully. The team stood in the middle of a grassy plain, facing a cliff with vast vegetation growing on top and along the side of itself. From here, if they turned around, they could see their ship sitting calmly in the distance as a simple silver dot. "Alright. What do you need us to do?" Michael offered as Emono began walking around to where the cliff leveled out with the flat plains. "These are some pretty big pants, Captain. I think they'd only fit you. Just watch my back and stick close. Let me know if anything pokes you." Rochelle let out a slight giggled as she hurried after her teammate, leaving Michael behind a bit. "She's kind of like you, in a way, Captain. Humble, but knows what she wants and how to get it done. Tell me again why you two still haven't hooked up?" Politely, Michael began to explain. "Because it would go against protocol. You of all people should know that, Rochelle." "Yea, yea. But, still; it's obvious you're feeling down, and you feel like you're missing something. That something might just have been in front of you the whole time..." Rochelle hinted with a wink as they grew to a slow, approaching a kneeling Emono. "Captain, look at this." she said urgently, without taking her eyes away from the scene. Upon his arrival, Emono moved out of the way slightly to expose the imprint of four hoof prints, clearly visible in the dirt. Mission Time: 00:52, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 14:19) "Bloody fuckin'..." "No good, rotten piece of..." "Son of a bitch!" Duncan shouted furiously, tossing his screwdriver and magnifying glass across the room; shattering the glass. Sighing deeply, the Scotsman held his face in one hand and onto the table with the other, covering his eyes from the sight of the reassembled little black box. "This isn't right. I fucked somethin' up, somewhere." Duncan tried to reason with himself angrily, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm down. For the past thirty minutes or so, he had disassembled, reassembled, replaced, and repaired over thirteen different modules on board the ship, but none of them seemed to sway the on board navigation from placing them anywhere on a map because its systems couldn't correct itself in saying that the nearby star orbited the planet, rather than the other way around. "Ya stupid bloody piece'o junk!" Duncan screamed suddenly, slamming the toes of his boot into the side of the wall. "How in th' 'ell can you do any'o the other shit ya do, but ya can't even figure out that th' fuckin' planet revolves around th' sun?!" Frustrated and nearly enraged, the Scotsman stormed off to the bridge, taking deep breathes in an attempt to calm himself before radioing down to the Captain. "Captain? We, uh...We might have a bit o'a problem..." Duncan started quietly. "What's the problem, Duncan?" "Ya see, sir, the ship's FUBAR in the navigational compartments. Ah can't seem ta get her ta correct herself enough to place us." A long silence came over the radio before the Captain spoke up once more. "Duncan, if you can't get the navigational compartment back up before we get back, Command isn't going to be happy. We need those coordinates, and I doubt HCE will want to find the planet again the same way we did - wandering around the solar system for a month." "I understand, Captain." Duncan replied, defeatedly with a tired sigh. It was going to be a long mission for him. Mission Time: 00:53, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 14:20) "Those look like.... Hooves, Emono." Michael stated in a bewildered tone. "Incredible, isn't it? To think that life so far from our own home world could have adapted so similarly! Hooves, Captain! Do you know what the chances of identical evolution occurring are, especially with absolutely no connection what so ever?!" Emono whispered in ecstatic disbelief. "I'd rather not hear the calculations right now. Let's head back to the ship and get your equipment, then we'll set up shop here." An excited nod came from the Asian before she stood up too quickly in her excitement and almost tumbled down the hill. Luckily, Rochelle caught her just in time and, in the midst of giggling like two school girls over a crush, helped her back to her feet before the group set off towards the ship in the distance. Mission Time: 01:14, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 15:12) "Can you believe it, sir?" Rochelle spoke up after some time. The ship was growing closer and closer by the minute, and Michael could begin making out the features of the spacecraft among the bushes that swayed in the wind. "Honestly, it's a little hard to believe." "Not only do they have life that has evolved similarly to our own, but in doing so that means that they've most likely already had their age of the dinosaurs - if they even had any!" Rochelle continued. "Think of everything we could study!" "Never thought that a doctor would take such an interest in ancient life." Michael mused before moving his hand to the front of his chest, pressing a dark black button inwards which elicited a soft beep. A moment later, a burst of sanitized air exploded through the gaps in the door as it slowly opened downwards and led into a sanitation chamber. After all, they didn't want to bring back any deadly anything to their current housing. Before the trio stepped up the ramp and into the ship once more, however, the little module on the side of Emono's hip began to emit a loud, panicked beep... Mission Time: 01:17, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 15:15) It was scared. No, It was terrified. Three huge monsters standing on their arms approached from nowhere all of the sudden. They looked as if a Manticore had spit up it's meal, and the remains walked away. They smelled... Odd, but not disgusting. It couldn't quite place the smell, but that was the least of It's worries at the moment. Now, It was trying desperately to remain undetected until whatever these things were left once more, and It could escape. Of course, the fact that It had pissed itself in fear certainly didn't help - evident by the loud beeping that began shortly after It had urinated. It pinpointed the noise; a small box on the side of one of the thing's... Side. It reached for it and the beeping soon stopped, but now the creatures seemed to be looking for something - It. The largest of the beings, and by far the most intimidating, reached to its side and pulled out an oddly shaped stick before waving it around cautiously. If It had any urine left, the entire plain under Cloudsdale would be a yellow mess. Then suddenly, gurgled and incomprehensible noises sounded from the thing that had pulled out the small box, to which the thing waving the stick around replied with more gurgles. It was going to die. It was sure of that - eaten up by strange monsters without a soul to know what had happened to It... A sad end, indeed. Mission Time: 01:16, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 15:14) "Sir?" Emono asked concernedly before the trio stepped fully into the ship. "The scanner is detecting a strange heat source and... And what I can only guess is some sort of... Urine? There's something nearby!" In an instant, Michael had drawn his side arm and began aiming it slowly around the surrounding area - searching for anything out of the ordinary. "Emono, Rochelle, back into the ship. Radio to Duncan for the Spiderbot." Hushed and hurried nods were all that replied as heavy footsteps echoed into the ship before the door closed to begin the sanitization process. Meanwhile, Michael began gently taking steps forwards towards the now shivering and shaking bushes, pistol aimed down and finger on the trigger. If anything leapt out at him, it would soon regret it. Mission Time: 01:16, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 15:14) It let out a terrified, girlish shriek before it jumped up and began galloping past the creature. Instincts took over and all logic was abandoned as It fled for Its' life, past the creature and towards Canterlot. It had to warn someone about these fearsome creatures that would surely destroy all of Its' world! Mission Time: 01:17, FIRST DAY (Approximate Local Time, 15:15) "Jesus fucking Christ!" Michael shouted in shock and fear as a miniature horse barreled past himself. Michael's finger tensed on the trigger, causing a red laser of charging heat to protrude from the barrel of his pistol before he released the trigger and aimed it at the creature - who had ended up tripping over itself as soon as it was free of the bushes.... "What the hell?" he muttered in disbelief as the creature groaned in pain and the sudden tiring loss of adrenaline...