π°ππππ π·π» , πΈπ·πΌπΆ
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
- Four adults sat inside of a dimly lit room; metal walls and the sounds of engines all about. There was a quiet hiss as oxygen was filtered into the area. The life support systems were running below optimum levels in the room but it was still a little better than what the lower ranks of their newly formed society faced. They sat in silence as the weight of their decision settled into place.
They were sending 100 citizens to the ground today.
Returning to the ground - the very idea was frightening and exciting. One-hundred and 8 years ago, a nuclear world war had destroyed the human race; all but those that were lucky to be in the 13 12 different space. That first space locked generation had to watch in horror as multiple nukes turned the Earth into an irradiated planet. Their descendants were unable to return to the Earth for fear that it would be unsurvivable. Four generations of humans had never seen the Earth beyond what was found in old movie clips and books. They had never felt the wind on their face nor the sun. Unfortunately, as much as the idea of experiencing what their ancestors had taken for granted was an exciting adventure most wanted to take, they still did not know if Earth was survivable. It was quite possible that there was still too much radiation for anyone to survive on the Earth.
Which was why they were only sending 100 citizens to the ground. They tried to prepare the young citizens as best they could with classes related to survival for the last three months but there was no way to prepare them for a possible radiation soaked zone. They would have wristbands on their left wrist that would, in theory, transmit their vitals back to the newly formed ARK. That was the only way they were going to know if the ground was survivable - if the 100 could survive, everyone would be able to survive there.
Surviving on the ground was something that was sorely needed; the four in the room knew better than most what was likely to happen if it wasn't. There was a reason the last Four stations had finally come together. There was a reason they were sending the 100 to the ground almost a hundred years before they knew the Earth would be safe.
All life support systems were failing.
The technicians estimated that they might have been able to fix it in six months. The reality was that the ARK had maybe four and a half months of life support left - at best five months after the 100 were gone. They needed the Earth to be survivable...or they would need to cull hundreds of people and hope that life support could be repaired. So the four leaders from the different stations sat together in silence, knowing that they very well have been sending 100 citizens down to a possible irradiated Earth. Some had hope that it also meant that they were sending them down to give them their best chance to live. Truly live. At the same time, it wasnβt like they could spare much in the way of supplies or goods to send down with them to help. They couldnβt afford to just throw away resources if the Earth wasnβt survivable.
The kids were being sent down with their wrist monitors, of course, and a day of prepackaged rations each. Except for water; they might have been able to grow new food but they would never have been able to replace the water that they ejected. The kids were also allowed to bring two changes of clothes from their own clothing - if they had more than one change that was - as well as one other personal belonging. All of this would have been fit into a small makeshift pack. And of course if they did make it and the ground was survivable they would be able to use whatever was on the two shuttles they were sending down. That was all that they were able to afford the 100 on their journey down to the ground. Even the fuel to power the two drop ships would be sorely missed but it had to be done.
As the small chime filled the room, tensions rose. The 100 had been filing into the two different drop ships. At the end of the chime there was a shaking that everyone near them had the chance of feeling as the two drop ships were ejected - one right after the other. The Alpha ship was ejected first and then the Beta ship. Each council member prayed in their own way as the ships carrying their hope for the future was launched towards Earth. Each ship carried 50 citizens which was a mixture of the four surviving stations.
π°ππππ ππππ ________________ π±πππ ππππ
πΈπΈπ·πΊπ·πΆπΎπΈπΉπ· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΊπΈπΆπΈπ·πΊπ·
πΈπΈπ·πΊπΉπΆπ½πΆπ·π· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΈπ·πΊπ·
π·πΈπ·πΉπΎπΆπ»πΈπ·π· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΏπΉπΆπΎπ·πΆπ·
π·πΈπ·πΉπΏπ·πΈπΈπ»π· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΉπΎπΆπΎπΆπΎπΈ
π·πΈπ·πΉπΎπΆπΎπΆπΎπ· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΊπΉπΆπΎπΈπΊπ·
πΈπΈπ·πΊπΉπ·πΆπΉπ·π· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΊπ·πΆπΏπΆπΈπ·
π·πΈπ·πΉπΏπ·π·πΆπΈπ· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΊπ·πΆπΊπΆπ·π·
πΈπΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΏπ·πΆπ· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΊπ·πΆπΉπΆπΈπ·
πΈπΈπ·πΉπΏπ·πΈπΈπ·π· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΊπ·πΆπ½πΈπ»π·
πΈπΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΏπ·π·π· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΊπΆπΆπ½πΈπΈπ·
πΉπΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΎπ·πΎπ· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΊπΉπ·π·πΉπΆπ·
π·πΈπ·πΊπΆπ·π·π·πΈπ· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΊπ·π»π·
π·πΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΌπ·πΉπ· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΊπ·πΎπ·
πΈπΈπ·πΊπΈπ·πΈπ·πΈπ· _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΉπΏπΆπΊπ·π»πΈ
π·πΈπ·πΊπΉπΆπ»πΈπΉπ· _________________ π·πΈπ·πΊπ·πΆπ½πΈπΌπ·
πΈπΈπΆπΊπ·πΆπΌπ·πΈπ· _________________ πΉπΈπ·πΊπΊπΆπΎπΈπΆπ·
πΆπΆπΆπΆπΆπΆπΆπΆπΆπΆ _________________ πΈπΈπ·πΊπΈπΆπΊπΆπ½π·
The ejection was bumpy, especially as the rockets fired just long enough to put them on the right trajectory. There was a span of 3 minutes as they hurtled towards Earth that those on board were weightless. Those who stayed in their seat, stayed safe, may have still felt the difference but those that unbuckled their seatbelts definitely did. But those that were able to feel that euphoric sensation for all itβs worth might have ended up regretting it as they entered Earthβs atmosphere. The drop ships shook as though from the wrath of god shaking their fist. Lights flickered and as gravity returned, those in the air would have been tossed about. As the ships entered the Earthβs atmosphere and started to slow their decent, a monitor on each floor turned on with a message for The 100.
Citizens of The Ark, hear us now. As some of you may know, you are headed towards Earth. For those of you that have been imprisoned for your disregard for the rules of your station, you've been given a second chance. As of now, you are pardoned of all past crimes. For those of you that volunteered or were selected for this mission, it is our hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there and we have spared what little resources that could be spared. Our records tell us that there are resources available for you in a government bunker that had been empty before World War 3. Once youβve landed the access co---
The most terrifying thing happened at that point. All lights turned off as the machines malfunctioned. The transmission had been cut off as the electronics on the ship stopped working. Without the built in navigation, the ships began to diverge from one another. This was meant to happen in part as they were intended not to land on top of one another, but the split continued fraction by fraction until both ships were off course. Thankfully at that point the mechanisms to slow down their descent had already been triggered or else their landing would have been like an intergalactic missile which none of them would have survived.
Each ship had only traveled for about twenty-five minutes, 3 of them weightless before they entered the Earthβs atmosphere, but those twenty-five minutes was life changing. Unfortunately, do to the malfunction, the ships deviated further away from each other than intended.
They were cast to the Earth a couple miles apart.
Neither ship made it to where they were have supposed to have gone. The π°ππππ ππππ landed in the middle of a forest so green that it would have been overwhelming to see. Meanwhile the π±πππ ππππ landed miles away next to a river about twenty-feet wide. Both would have landed in the time known as Evening, something that generations of humans had been denied. The sun was in the position to start setting so the colors of the sky were not so much of a vivid blue; more like the fading embers promising to kiss the earth goodnight shortly.
_ 
More IDs will be added when there are more characters.
