...And so this lesson begins not in the sprawling metropolis of lunar base, but on the cramped, worn out colony of Outcast Station, the young instructor says, flicking the tablet display with her thumb. A place of chaos, distrust, and ruthless gang lords and pirate kings -- these are the stories of Outcast Station. Not the peace-seeking leaders of Liberty Station, nor the efficiency of Yuro Station or Cosmos. It is a different station... a different station indeed. Her eyes flick across the students assembled, then look back down at the tablet. And yet it is here, on a tiny transport ship called The Eclipse - an unassuming ship - that the heroes gather...
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Sir, we're still getting fluctuations in the shield generator," Richter said, tapping the readout at the helm controls.
Captain Welker moved over to stand behind Richter to see the diagnostic report.
"Nothing we haven't had to deal with before," the orca captain replied.
Richter shrugged his dolphin shoulders. "Normally I'd agree, but our route takes us dangerously close to the Graveyard."
Welker evaluated the situation and returned to his seat. Activating the internal comm system, he addressed Decker, his kangaroo engineer.
"Mr. DEckert, please schedule the shield generator for repairs at our earliest convenience. Until then, keep it working."
Knowing that Decker would keep things running despite the order, Welker closed the comm channel.
Looking out the main viewport at Liberty Station, Welker frowned as he thought about leaving the safety of the sprawling station, and heading into the backwaters of the Zone.
A minor thump throughout the ship indicating the airlock had been disconnected broke the captain out of his thoughts. "I'm off to greet the passengers. Richter, you have the con."
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There are four other passengers on board.
Myke - professional fighter.
Ash Deadwood - reporter following Myke.
Ocean - human girl who wears a goodie
Finger - soldier-type
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Trying to relax in the uncomfortable seats on the Eclipse, Jazzming Brokato, technician and amateur hidden scout for Freedom Station, gave out a weary sigh. This really wasn't where she saw herself when she was a kid. Sure, she loved technology, and she had always dreamed of making some huge discovery on her own, but being sent to the galaxy's sphincter wasn't as glorious as it sounded. Cramped inside of a small freighter ship, surrounded by who-knows-what, she missed her apartment and routine life.
Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, and remembering that this was for SCIENCE!!, Jazzming took a moment to look over her traveling companions. "So, what brings you all here?"
The big muscley guy swaggers over to Jazzming, introducing himself as Myke, while shadow boxing. "Going to be the top runner for the heavy weight this year. Heading to Outcast so I can win a few fights and get qualified."
He stops for a minute, looks around at the group. "Not sure what the rest of these chumps are up to, but of things get wild over there on Outcast, you just hang tight with me."
The rest of the passengers look around awkwardly, for the most part ignoring Myke.
The captain announces that they'll be leaving the station any minute now. For anyone interested, the station will be visible through the right side of the ship.
The girl with the hoodie changes seats to see out the window, situating herself across from Jazzming. She smiles weakly, and turns her attention to the window.