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."
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...
