The Homeworld I Long to See

[Artemis]

The Homeworld I Long to See

Briar 'Bri' Young

Name: Briar Addison Young aka "Bri"
Age: 26
Role: Survivor

Katherine 'Kat' Silvertsten

Appearance:

Name: Katherine 'Kat' Silvertsten
Age: 27
Role: Doctor aboard the Ark

---

For all her life, the steel walls, airlocks, and the regulations set forth by the Council was all Kat knew. Aboard a space station that housed just above three thousand souls, the Ark felt like a transit station to Kat. A place where she waited for a shuttle to bring her back down to the planet called Earth. The birthplace of the human race, a home that humanity desolated by sheer stupidity of war.

The older generations always told her stories of the planet, the few that remained. There were great bodies of water that extended towards the horizon, lush forests that dwarfed the artificial greenhouse on the Ark, and animals of many kinds. Every night, Kat always listened to when an elder told these stories, imagining what it would be like in her mind's eye. Even with all the beautiful things she heard, the scars of the war wasn't ignored. The missiles launched by each country wiped out a great portion of life. Millions were killed, soldiers and civilians alike. Continents were uninhabitable turning into nothing more than wastes. Even so, Kat wanted to return to Earth. The Ark - though she was grateful - was starting to feel claustrophobic, as if she were drowning in the vastness of space yet cramped in this metal box.

She wouldn't have to wait much longer.

A century since the formation of the Ark, the Council had finally proposed a plan to send a small team back to Earth. Scientists, soldiers, and civilians. By luck, Kat was selected to go as the medical officer. The group was to assess the viability of life on the radiated surface. The opportunity excited Kat, but she was afraid. What if she succumbed to radiation sickness? Newborns were affected from the radiation of the sun. If the symptoms were similar, it'd be a very painful way to go.

Walking near the entrance to the drop ship, Kat looked up as the guards hurried along and packed everything up. The scientist were all doing their own thing, talking about the surface she suspected. The civilians were clumped together. Kat saw their expressions. Excitement, fear, uncertainty. She wouldn't be surprised if some of them were wishing they weren't selected. The job was too important to pass up. The Ark was running low on supplies. They needed to find another source.

"Doctor?" Kat turned around as she nearly jumped. "Didn't mean to startle you, Kat."

"Chancellor, sir," she said as she tried to settle her nerves. She had never been approached by the Ark leader before. "What can I do for you?"

Chancellor Laurence looked over the drop ship. "Survive," he said. "I'm still wondering if sending you folks down there is the right thing. You all heard the briefing - the situation. It's too important to delay any further. The Ark is running low on supplies. Systems are going bad. More accidents are happening. Daniel has told me much of your eagerness to see the Earth."

Kat shrugged as she hefted her bag over her shoulder. It was almost time. "To be honest Chancellor, I'm scared."

"So are we all, doctor. The science team has taken great care in selecting the drop point. Less radiation exposure from what they told me. From a medical professional, what's your take on the matter?"

Kat pursed her lips. Theoretically, everyone on the Ark had experienced radiation poisoning to some extent. While they were far enough from the sun to not burn from the UV rays emitting from the star, the radiation wasn't able to be filtered by the atmosphere. "I think - think mind you - that radiation will be the least of our problems. In less radiated zones though. I don't want to test that theory though."

The Chancellor nodded. "If we only had radiation suits," he said. "Which is why you're dropping near the Appalachian. Supposedly, there's a military base there. We tried to ensure your success as much as possible."

"And the future of the Arks."

"Precisely."

Laughing, Kat heard the signal to board. Turning to the Chancellor she held out her hand. They shook. "We have a radio. We'll send word when we know its safe."

"God speed Doctor."

"Thanks Chancellor."

Taking a deep breath, she walked up the wrap to the hexagon-like vessel as she found her seat. She strapped in. Finally, her dream was coming true. Apprehension churned inside her as her mouth grew dry. They were finally going home.

---

Kat felt something slap her face as she tried to open her eyes. Her head pounded as her body ached all over. Where was she? That's right, she was in the drop ship. Had they reached the ground? Was she dead?

"Doctor Silvertsten!"

She felt another slap, the pain was more intense.

"Doctor!"

Kat's eyes flashed open as she took in her environment. She saw a hand around her neck as she struggled to get out of the grip. "Doctor, stop!"

She looked up and saw the uniform of a guard. Davis if she remembered correctly. She looked around as the dropship was empty. Gear was scattered to and fro. Her hands quickly went to the buckle as she took off her restraint. "What happened? Where are the others?"

Davis stood up, his rifle swung around his back. "Hundred year old pile of junk wasn't as intact as we thought," he said. "We lost some of the scientist and civilians."

"How many?"

"Twelve souls."

Kat cursed. That was less than a fifth of their numbers. Twelve out of the hundred were already gone? She shuddered. Getting to her feet, she found her bag as she hoisted it on her back. She pushed past Davis as she made her way to the exit. She cried out as she covered her eyes. Slowly, she brought her hands away.

Trees surrounded her as the light from the sun illuminated the clearing the ship had landed in. A great lake spread out before her as reflections of a mountain pass filled the water. She took a deep breath. The air. Real oxygen. It tasted so sweet!

"Doctor!" Her brief moment of pleasure was lost as she looked towards the direction of the voice. A civilian was waving at her as she hurried his way. She looked at the woman on the ground. She went slack jawed. A piece of metal was sticking out of a woman's torso. "Help her!"

"Boil some water!" she ordered the man as she looked around. "You two, hold her down. Where's our anesthesia?"

"All gone," reported a guard. "We lost a lot in the crash."

Kat sighed. She didn't envy the woman one bit. She looked at her helpers. "Hold her tight." She took the alcohol that somebody brought her and disinfected her hands and tools. Taking a steadying breath, she carefully began to pull the piece of shrapnel out. Blocking out the screams, the lack of bleeding told her nothing internally was bleeding. Taking a cloth and soaking it with alcohol, she pressed it against the woman's side. Reaching for a needle and thread, she began to stitch the wound. "Bring her back to the drop ship. She can't move. Rest. That's what's going to heal that."

As she finished up, she sat back and wiped away the sweat from her brow. Barely being on Earth for an hour, her blue shirt and jeans were already stained with dirt and blood. A terrible way to begin things. Hearing no more cries of pain, she walked off and sat against a tree stump and looked at the water. The stories the elders told her could not have prepared her for all of this. The beauty was indescribable, as if she stepped into paradise.

Closing her eyes she tilted her head up. Now, the question was, if this place was toxic enough to kill them or not.​

 

[Kismet]

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The sound of dead leaves snapped in half underneath a boot as Bri walked at a leisurely pace. Her face, hidden in the shadows, was a grim one. The tribe, built by two heads, had just recently accessed a situation. It was only the afternoon when heat was at its highest peak and many clouds bound themselves around the blazing fireball in the sky, slowly closing in at a calming pace. Bri's mind swirled with thoughts of what the atmosphere pushed down towards the ground. Many assumed it was a falling star, but no one had seen such a thing in the last 97 years. The male head was pushing towards a trek over towards the other side to find out what the hell it was, but Bri thought otherwise. "It'd be dangerous for our people, Ash," she'd spoken out, desperation lacing her voice.

They didn't know what was there, what had actually fallen from the sky.

"I won't let your pessimistic views taint our people. We will find out and I won't be misconstrued for it."

It wasn't convenient that Ash, a tanned young man covered in soot and grime, thought otherwise. She'd already spoken her thoughts, he'd already denied them, and now, they'd be setting out. Everyone was pacing quickly about camp, saddling up horses, and tightening the reins. "We should be near the fallen star by dawn. Better coming out later today than never. Everyone, bring your weapons. You never know when you'll need it solely for protection. Am I clear?"

Bri's hand clenched around the thin leather strap on her shoulder, the one that held her quiver at the back of her right shoulder. Her head turned to glance at Ash, the buff man who was both self-centered and witty in his own right. He didn't bother to glance her way, but she knew that he knew she was gazing at him with narrowed eyes. Do something, Bri, her mind was telling her, but she felt otherwise.

Watching as Ash hopped down from his horse after testing the ride and strength of the reins, he began walking over towards her. "Do you have any idea how domineering your stare is to me?" Ash inquired sarcastically. "What makes me so unlawful that you need to stare at me with your beady-like gaze?" She couldn't believe his words. What made him unlawful? Nothing. Did he understand why she was staring at him like that? No, most likely not but-

"Do you have any idea what you're putting yourself and our people through?"

"Yes, I do actually."

"You're taking a risk Ash!" she snapped as the muscles in her relaxed. "These people can't venture out that far. We've never gone past our boundaries..." This caused Ash to raise an eyebrow. "Are you saying that my people can't handle Earth?" Bri shook her head at his misunderstanding. "No Ash. I'm just saying it's better to not worry about what fell from the sky. It's risky."

"Bri. We've been living here for how long and you say this is risky? Can't you see how equipped we are for this? We won't lose tons of men and women if that's what you're thinking. Saying we can't do this is absurd."

"Ash, it's just better to stay within the boundaries... For our safety..."

"Fuck safety. We're leaving now." He turned away from her, hurriedly walking towards his horse.

"Ash!" Bri cried out.

He swirled around to meet her gaze with steady gray eyes and large hands that gripped her shoulders, telling her of his frustration in her denial. "Tell me this now, Bri. You will come. Not because you don't want to, but because you have to." Bri's innocent face immediately disappeared, replaced by one of sheer anger. "I won't tell you anything," she spat. "But I will tell you this- I am most confident that this falling star you talk of, is not a falling star. I will not forgive you for any causalities outside of the border should it so happen. I will make you pay." Bri ripped her upper arms out of his grasp, then proceeded to her own horse, stepping on the stirrup and pulling herself up and over.

"Everyone," she commanded. "Follow us."

Without another word, all hunters, both men and women, fell step in step behind her and Ash as they left camp.
​

 

[Artemis]

It had been a few hours since Kat's impromptu surgery. She and a few others had dug graves for the twelve souls that perished. Amongst the dead was the leader of the landing party, more specifically Lieutenant Cooper. Sergeant Davis had assumed leadership as the guards had fanned out and made a perimeter. While it made Kat feel safer, there was still too much ground to secure. The trees above as well. Though she doubted anything would pounce on them from above, nobody could be one hundred percent certain. This wasn't the Earth that the older generations lived on after all. Thing could've evolved, changed.

"Hey doc." Kat was just finishing making a cross out of twigs as she saw Sergeant Davis standing behind her. He looked tired as his black armor of the guard was tarnished and dirty. "You got a minute?"

Kat nodded as someone took over her task. "What's up?"

Davis led her towards the perimeter as he looked around. "The science team wants to start testing things immediately. It's getting dark though. Going out now would not be optimal."

"So wait until tomorrow," she said. "We've barely settled here. Twelve are dead and people are scared. I was talking to Adams earlier. Our only surviving engineer. Though it was a one way trip, there's very little we can salvage from the crash."

"So doc, your opinion?"

Kat rose and eyebrow. "I'm hardly a military tactician, Davis. Plus, I believe you're in charge, so you make the decision."

Davis shrugged. "By default. A smart leader takes opinions."

The soldier had a point there. Kat was surprised, normally the jarheads were so stubborn once they made up their mind. It was evident on the Ark. If someone broke a rule, they'd be floated out the airlock. It was cruel, but it was necessary to survive given the restriction placed upon the people of the Ark. A thinking jarhead was refreshing. "Why don't we dig in for tonight," she suggested. "Have the science team take inventory. I'll check our medical supplies. I think we brought prefab shelters, so have the civilians do that. Your soldiers can dig in and look around the immediate area. Um, that's all I got."

Davis scratched his chin as he grinned. "We'll do that then doctor." He handed her a walkie talkie. "For now, you'll be my part time advisor. If you're not busy, the science team said the water was safe to drink. Take a couple of folks and fill up the buckets we brought along. Dehydration is not a pretty sight."

Kat was about to flat out reject the order, but she wasn't doing anything. Other than digging graves and bandaging up some minor wounds here and there, she was free. "White ones over there?"

"Yup."

Kat sighed as she walked over and called a few folks who helped her dig the grave. She filled them in on the project as they set off. It was a terrible way to start the survey she thought to herself. Hopefully they could radio back to the Ark some good news.​

 

[Kismet]

Fallen star... What a lie...

Bri sat silently and comfortably within the saddle of her horse, her shoulders slumped and back curved. She seemed to be deep in thought, probably going on and on in her head about what a terrible idea it was to send everyone outside the borders, even more so after dawn. "You should just deal with it Bri. You're not setting a good example for everyone else by slouching and pouting simply because you didn't get your way." Bri's blue eyes narrowed into slits as she glanced at Ash from her peripheral vision.

"Looks like I'll be this way for the rest of the ride then. A leader doesn't tell his partner what to do. Especially when they're equal in power."

"No need to be so derogatory. I'm simply stating a fact."

"Oh really? I would think otherwise since you practically took over without bothering to negotiate."

Ash's forest green eyes rolled towards the back of his head. "You should learn to understand that a man's power is superior to a woman's. Yes, you're my partner, a leader beside me, but even then, my power will always reign over yours."

"You're unpractical for everyone," Bri muttered under her breath. She wrapped the reins around her knuckles and urged her horse forward into a trot, steering clear of everything around her and traveling a few meters ahead of Ash. "You sexist bastard." Ash settled back, and when he didn't drive his steed forward to argue with her, Bri assumed he hadn't heard her last words about him being the kind of person who was discriminatory towards women simply because of their gender.

It had been evident in their past, possibly 30 years straight. Bri couldn't quite pinpoint how long it'd been going on since their old leader, Reagan, was killed after he got captured by the Mountain Men and was turned into a savage beast. Bri's fists clenched at the memory she'd no longer wanted to remember. That was the last thing she wanted to remember, especially when she was the one who had killed him for the sake of their tribe.

Bri shook her head, letting go of the memory as she sucked in a huge breath. That was something she couldn't have driving away her conscious to make logical and practical decisions.

"We're nearing the river. I can hear the water running already."

Bri's head swiveled around to gaze at Ash. He gestured upfront with his chin as he slowly closed the gap in between them. "There it is. Off in the distance." Bri pursed her lips, slightly nodding once in acknowledgement. "I see it," she spoke curtly. "The edge of the territory. A perfect place to park our horses then continue the trek by foot."

"Why would we do that? The horses are more faster, more convenient."

"Ash, you don't know a damn about anything. You don't know if it's a fallen star or not. Quit whining and walk for once. It's not like you're a crippled old man who can't do anything for himself."

Ash smirked at Bri's words, finding her feisty attitude amusing. He halted his horse, stepping down from the stirrup. "So be it. Men," he called out. "Women. Keep your horses here. We will continue the trek on foot." He took off a rope hanging on the side of the saddle, strapping the horse to a tree nearby in order to make sure it didn't run off. Bri did the same, as well as many others. Her hands brushed the two headed horse's snout. "Goodbye."

The tribe headed on, their fur boots crashing with the clean river water as they crossed the makeshift rock path in an orderly file towards the other side. Bri adjusted her black, dirt-smeared coat and pushed her light brown hair towards one side. With an ornately carved wooden bow in her left hand and the strap of a quiver filled with arrows in her right, she made her way across the dirt path conveniently and naturally laid down for anyone who dared come to Mount Weather.

There wasn't even anyone out there though, but if it just so happened to be, that's what the purpose of it was in a negative way. Anyone would be taken anyways, possibly as a prisoner. "Onwards," Ash spoke up, trekking past her, forcing Bri to pick up her pace as everyone else behind them followed silently. "We'll be at the fallen star in no time."

Ash seemed so determined. If only he had a pragmatic mindset...​

 

[Artemis]

It was official. Though Kat loved the soft grass her body laid on - with an occasional wood chip here and there - her body was sore. Being the first contact team with the ground wasn't as easy as she thought it'd be. A large portion of their supplies had been lost in the crash. With the impact on the ground, Kat didn't even want to know what essentials were scattered throughout their surroundings. Davis had been running a tight ship. A wall of sorts had been erected - from empty crates - while the soldiers kept things from coming or for folks going out. In the evening anyways.

Staring at the stars, it was surreal. For her whole entire life, Kat had been one of those stars - the biggest one in the sky. However, looking up, she appreciated the beauty of it all. Each little dot twinkled, which made her wonder if those too were Ark ships - though she knew better. They were stars, planets, or whatever celestial object that existed. She reached up her hand and closed it around a cluster. She felt so small, as if she were a spec in the universe. Was there someone living somewhere out there looking back at her?

Hearing footsteps crunch by, she tilted her head as Kristen - a mechanic - groaned as she popped a spot by the doctor. "Hey Doc," she said. "Hell of a day, huh?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "My body is pulsing with hurt," she said as she smiled wryly. "Do you know how long its been since I've done heavy labor like this? I mean, cutting people open and operating isn't the easiest of procedures, but this is something else. I should've ran the gauntlet more. Christ."

Kristen laughed as shadows basked her face in blackness. Since this afternoon, Kristen had been teaching her how to weld and salvage from the electronics. The woman was patient, Kat had to give her that, but even with the personal lessons, Kat couldn't do anything past tying wires together. It just wasn't the same as when she was operating on the human body. The anatomy of the body was familiar to her, like writing and talking. However, when she saw machines, she drew a blank. She supposed that was why she wasn't a mechanic or an engineer.

"I'll admit," Kristen said. "A toned doctor would be easy on the eyes. Anyway, Davis needs you. Some kid was being careless. Fried some circuitry. Can you go check up on him? God, the Sergeant is pissed. You should've seen his face!"

Kat chuckled as she reluctantly got to her feet. "We've gotta be careful," she said. "Don't go spreading it around, but a bulk of our medical supplies are gone. Haven't asked if the search parties have found them somewhere else. I'll have a chat with Davis."

Kristen nodded though Kat could see the woman's concern. She shouldn't have shared that bit. As the two crossed camp, Kat could hear somebody's cries of pain as she quickened her pace. Davis was there along with a few other folks. "Doctor, damn kid was careless. Burns all across his arm."

Kat knelt by the mechanic as she inspected. What they needed was burn cream - which she had. However, the amount on her was low. Desperately low. While she didn't think triage was necessary, what if they needed it for later. Frowning, she took out a roll of bandages. "All I can do is bandage it up." She opened the roll right after she padded the burn with some alcohol. "Looks worse than it is. Keep activity with that arm light, got it?"

"Fucking tin can." The engineer was about to kick a control panel before Davis grabbed his shoulder. He shook his head sharply. "Shit, sorry Sergeant."

"Get some sleep." He watched the engineer walk off as Davis looked back at Kat. "Fourth accident today. This was the most severe though. How're supplies? I know we have burn cream."

"Low," she said. "I've begun triaging."

"Shit, that bad?"

Kat nodded.

Davis was about to say something until his radio squawked. "Sergeant, this is perimeter, come in."

"Go ahead perimeter."

"We've noted some movement on our side. It might be an animal. Just radioing in a heads up."

Davis swore as he pressed the transmit. "Keep eyes on. Doc, see what you scrounge up. Anything. If you think it's useful, take it."

Kat rose and eyebrow. "Expecting trouble?"

Davis shrugged as he gripped his rifle. "Can never be too careful. Get going doc."​