Earth was destroyed nearly fifty years ago; and there is only one record of the entire even. Looking back now- scientists are still baffled at how billions of humans and the globe they inhabited just (i vanished) but it did. And now on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the event that changed the human’s carbon imprint on this galaxy forever- they played the tape.
Many of those that had been around for its’ destruction already knew what it looked like, what had happened, and how they were oh-so unprepared. This was for the new generation- so that they would know how fluid and transient space really was.
//Lunar Log:: 2367|07|05// The world sits there- blue, green, and festive with life. A few of the space stations that orbit it twinkle in and out with data and power. There were streaks in the vacuous black nothing as ships took off from the various docking ports that orbited the stations. Everything seemed so copacetic- no one even blinked an eye in suspicion. Next thing one would notice was a fluxuation in space; almost as if the stars had bended in on each other. And in that odd compression appeared a ring- as white as the purest snow and a metallic as if made of metal, but at the same time pliable as if it was liquid. It circled around the Earth like it was just another ring around another planet; except it didn’t remain docile. A pulse of power shot out of it- it was invisible until it managed to collide with something and then it made itself known from the sheer amount of destruction it left in its’ wake. The space stations were destroyed, satellites, ships that were leaving from Earth, and then it cleaved the Earth itself. Yet the wound was not a straight cut through its’ core but seemed to fester in molten heat; boiling seas, decimating mountains, melting cities, and killing all that was in its’ path. In a blink of an eye the world folded on itself like a burnt piece of paper and all that remained were chunks of charred rocks.
Shortly after that the Lunar Base was evacuated as the moon became unstable due to lack of the Earth to keep it in its’ orbiting sphere. Later scientists would find a way to dispel it from the solar system so that it wouldn’t take to destroying other planets in its’ rouge wake.
Yet mankind had taken to space before all of this, colonized a few other planets, and was currently working on the largest space station in this known time: ATLAS. It was called that because it was built using a massive asteroid as its’ foundation. Construction of ATLAS was quickly built so that many of the Earth refugees had a place to go once they had heard the news- and the humans made it their new home.
Extra-terrestrial life had not been discovered then, but it didn’t take long for the various species of the universe to pinpoint in on the massive burst that caused all their systems to crash at one time. Apparently that odd silver ring had sent out a massive EMP upon its arrival and destruction of Earth. It was like a siren call to all other intelligent life.
They came in various droves, and with their arrival started a new chapter in the universe.
Fifty-years later:
It was called the 'Exodus Event' and had faded into the background of galactic interest as the 'Purge Ring' seemed more like a fairy tale than the truth. Humans took to the galaxy with ease- their genetics built with the resilience of ages, and able to take on the stress of harsh environments. This allowed them to get a member in with the Galactic Consulate, a collection of the most prominent species in space as they dictate varying inter-space transactions, and make themselves quite the presence in the vast and vapid space.
Yet for all their good fortune- that did not erase what had happened to them.
Many aliens had blamed humans for their own downfall as many humans blamed the aliens for the destruction of their Earth. While some of these species were helpful to those from Earth- others sought to enslave them for the rarity they held in the galaxy. Fifty years may have passed but their numbers were vastly thinned down from their once prominent greatness.
Strangely enough our story does not begin in the embroiled political quandaries of aliens and humans, but instead on the edge of the galaxy in a place called 'No Man's Space' where there is a ship under the Galactic Consulate's flags called 'Arke' is currently making its rounds.
This ship is not a pirate ship per say but its' crew members are not notable Galactic Consulate Enforcers, or actually part of the Consulate at all. These are mercenaries- the cheapest of the best- and about to embark on a mission that will change the universe once again.
Yet will it be for better or for worse?
The Arke's Mission:
The Arke is a Vigilante Fighter Class- a smaller ship made for long voyages out into space but with the gun capabilities of an Archer Fighter Class. Unfortunately though it only has capabilities to hold the two-man squad that traveled with it, and nothing else. It is more prominent on search and destroy missions than search and rescue.
Its' current mission is to look into a distress beacon that was activated over a week ago by an unknown ship that was capable of broadcasting on GC frequencies. No member of the Galactic Consulate has reported a ship missing- and so this foreign vessel is to be handled with the utmost care, secured, and prepped for pick up by the Hercules a Battleship Class Cruiser.
Yet our story starts before that- when our two-man crew meet for the first time--
Name: Diego ‘Coyote’ Ramos
The Dossiers:
Age: Twenty-Eight
Gender: Male
Height/Build: 6’3”/Heavily Muscular
Eyecolor/Haircolor: Golden brown/Black
Skincolor: Crazy tan
Genetic Makeup: While mostly human- Diego’s father was a mutant. Honestly he didn’t know how his paternal unit ended up with spliced genes, but he did- and they were passed on to the boy himself. Yet unlike his father he lacks the physical alterations that come with it. Still that does not make him any more a pure-blood human. He is ridiculed along with the rest of the ‘dirty bloods’.
Personality: Diego is headstrong. This nature most likely comes from his mother- her being a chief engineer on ATLAS. While he is somewhat vain and arrogant it isn’t so off-putting that one couldn’t even get to know him. He is sort of like the big brother you never had- or at least the big brother you never had that stares at your ass a bit too hard in the shower. While he seems somewhat fraternal and- well- touchy- if someone challenges his ‘alpha male’ status his temper drops from ‘easy-going’ to ‘easily irritated’. Another downside to his personality is his lack of attachment as he has travelled to countless star systems and served aboard many ships- he hasn’t had much time to really care for anyone. This will lead to nicknames and lack of really caring about anyone’s past. And if someone asks about his- well that is another downside to Diego’s personality- he has backlogged his emotions.
If he is not smiling, fornicating, giving orders, being sarcastic or kicking-ass then he must be asleep because he has no other emotions than that.
Skills:
Hand-to-hand Combat: Especially in anti-grav Diego is a force to be reckoned with as he has control of all his limbs (hur hur) to the finest of precisions.
Short Ranged Artillery and Ballistics: Pistols, Semi-Automatics, and varying non-rifle Automatics are his bread and butter of destruction. He isn’t good at long range, and one shouldn’t even ask him if he can wield any martial weapons as he will stare at you quite blankly and laugh. He is good at clearing a path and that is about it.
Basic First-Aid: While he received the basic training class in First-Aid he has continually used it as he has climbed up the ladder and perfected a few tricks that are especially useful with his odd mutation.
Experienced Gun Repair: One doesn’t rely solely on ballistics and not know how to clean their gun and repair it after it jams or otherwise has another issue that can be fixed without parts or otherwise.
Abilities:
Mutations: Diego isn’t jokingly referred to the ‘coyote’ because he howls or any other such nonsense. His genetic makeup gives him a quicker reaction time, a higher stamina, improved strength, and a tighter agility. He can also see in low-light and has heightened senses that give him a rather tight understanding of when someone is lying to him or if there is an ambush up ahead. Yet this works against him if anyone uses something that would be an annoyance on normal human senses as it would cause him to be impaired for a short time. The downsides to this mutation are that all doctors state that it will be a miracle if he lives past 40 in his current condition. There is also a chance that the mutation will turn cancerous and affect his entire body- altering it both mentally and physically. On the bright side his canines are a bit sharper than most which makes bitting a bit more fun.
Reputation:
Diego is well known in the Galactic Consulate as a man that can get things done no matter what the cost- which has painted his morals rather gray. There are also vast rumors as to how his last three partners managed to vanish off the map and how he keeps getting assigned to the prodigies of the GC. Still he is a capable man with a rather straightforward past. Grew up on ATLAS with his mother- no father-, enlisted in the GC at a young age, has moved up the ranks rather quickly given to his nature of taking orders, and has now ended up under the elite faction of GC.
Several rumors gravitate around his numerous sex partners- and others around his sporadic violent nature.
Name: Rafael "Rafe" Mendoza
Age: Twenty-seven.
Gender: Male.
Height/Build: 6'1"/Muscular.
Eye color/Hair color: Hazel/Dark brown.
Skin color: Golden brown.
Genetic Makeup: Rafe is mostly human - however, his father was of an alien race. He never met either of his parents, he was an orphan spacer, he doesn't even know what species of alien his father was. The two genes split in two almost to his advantage - leaving him with human looks and the abilities some of the aliens of his father race have. (Though he doesn't know the true potential of his powers completely, since he's never been able to figure out what his father was.) He is considered a 'dirty blood' and put in a category with other half-human subtypes.
Personality: Due to not knowing much about either of his parents; it's hard for Rafe to pinpoint what parts of his personality he gets from which of his parents. He's headstrong and stubborn, he isn't one to give in quickly; this also makes him very argumentative, rarely will he back down from an argument even when he knows he's more than likely the one who is wrong. Rafe is a fire cracker in a way; he explodes easily with emotions he can't hold in; these emotions being his anger (he's quick to lash out when he's pissed off) and happiness. It doesn't take much to make Rafe happy; it can be something as simple as a piece of candy or just running into the right male in the hallway. While, his emotions are explosive, he finds them hard to control. His emotions often get in the way of his work, some say he has too much compassion towards enemies, and others say he has too much compassion and passion in general. He's a piece of work, unique in every way. He's like a big lovable bear, despite his temper issues, he tends to show a soft side of himself that is rare to find in a soldier. He’s a like a big teddy bear; until you piss him the fuck off.
Detonation/Bomb expert: When a big boom is needed, Rafe knows the perfect location to get the job done no matter where he is.
Hand-to-hand Combat: He's not afraid to get up close and personal with those he fights. If he runs out of ammo (or feels like he's wasting it), he'll charge one enemy-or a small group- and fight with his bare hands. He tends to prefer hand to hand combat but uses a gun when it’s necessary.
Basic First-Aid: He received the basic required training in First-Aid; he had used it a few times to help fallen soldiers or to help with his own wounds.
Sniper: While Rafe loves to be up close and personal with his enemies, he also enjoys looking through a scope from an unseen
spot. His aim is damn near perfect and he loves watching a bullet blow the head right off an enemy. He's a lot better with long-ranged weapons rather than short range. (He's also good at throwing knifes.
Abilities:
Due to his father's alien blood that runs through his veins; Rafe has some unusual abilities. His genetic makeup gives him a higher stamina, improved strength and enhanced vision; he can see further than most humans and he has low-light vision as well. His brain tends to work faster than most, he finds it easy to think out a plan in half the time it takes most; due to this it also causes him to often rush ahead of others because he has everything set up in his head (sometimes he even calculates the end results of doing certain things). The downside to his dirty blood is no one knows what race he is part, therefore he has to watch what he eats and watch what kind of places he lives in (ex. If a place is too damp or too dry he doesn’t know how his body will react); despite many tests on his blood that doctors had done, none have yet to figure out what the other half of his blood is, though, they do know that the alien blood seems to be slowly taking over the rest of the human DNA that he has left.
Reputation:
Rafe is well known in the Galactic Consulate as a man that works well under pressure and one who always thinks before he acts - which has done nothing but good things for his morals and people tend to like him. However, he is also rumored to work better alone rather than with a group of people, and rumored to have slept with his last partner before the man quit the GC and vanished completely off the map without a warning. He enlisted as soon as he was of age, an orphan all of his life with nothing to lose. He moved through the ranks rather quickly due to his friendly attitude, abilities and the way he gets his job done, he now works under the elite faction of the GC.
The rumor of his last partner was not the first; many rumors are whispered about several sexual partners he has had - all male and of all different species.
