We are nearing ship earth. The surrounding murmurs quieted as the announcement about our home planet came to our ears. It was interesting to hear that it was known as such, as we had all started to call it ship Earth.
The new pioneers will start their journey in a few minutes, please make your way to orientation.
I stood up from my chair and walked out the door, the rest of the crew trailing behind.
Welcome back, it has been too long. The old lady in the doorway greeted us, she had a large smile on her face for each of us as we walked in. Before she closed the door, she gave us a last greeting as well.
This room had been in the same place as the very first orientation. The wall across from the door was filled with large screens that were currently displaying images of Earth. This was the beginning of the journey for a lot of people. After living on this ship for years, some explorers got progressively closer and closer to the planet, before finally settling.
A small crowd was already gathered in the small room, three people at a time got to enter the room to hear their names. I was in the middle, with a large group leading up to enter the room shortly.
Sorry for such a long wait, the birth certificates have been scanned and have finally been loaded into the ship's system. For some of you, it might even be a life changing experience. The man smiled when he said that.
Your scans will be taken now, and them matched with your name. Please step forward to the front wall and look up.
A small light flashed near the first person in line, who was lightly pushed forward to the wall with a gentle hand on the persons shoulder. My eyes were fixated on the light, wondering how much longer it would take for it to turn on for me. The previous person started moving back when the light turned green, and the next person stepped forward.
The first few people went through the scan quickly, then the process seemed to pick up in speed. This was due to about half of the people getting their name called back before they even reached the wall. They had no choice but to step forward to see their name.
Waiting for me? I heard a familiar voice next to my ear.
I had begun to doubt it.' I looked over at Sam, the girl from my class who was one of the few friends I had on the ship. We had grown a bit closer over the past few years, and I always enjoyed her company. She was always a positive person, and I enjoyed the interactions I had with her.
Nah, you'll be just fine. Just make sure you get that final interview, that's the important one. My parents always told me how important it was to focus on that one, otherwise you won't be allowed to go.
Hopefully I didn't miss it this time. I smiled and looked back at the light. I did not expect to see my name today. Just as I was thinking that, the light turned green and my name flashed up in the middle of the wall. I moved to the wall, a bit more quickly than I would have liked, and waited there.
Congratulations, Amber. I moved back, surprised to see my name, it was a strange but welcomed feeling. 'Please read the waiver on the wall. You will be escorted to a group of people with the same name, if you need any assistance.
You will also be able to discuss your decision to go, or not, with these group of people as well. Do you want to discuss it any more? If not, the Scanners will now begin scanning again.
I moved back to the wall and looked at my name, relieved that it was indeed mine. Once the information was read off, the light turned green and my name disappeared.
Walk with me, we can talk on the way. The girl next to me walked out of the door first, but I was too focused on walking out to talk to anyone. It was rare for a person to get to stay on this ship for a long period of time, and I would have probably run into a lot of people I knew.
I followed her outside with the rest of the other people in my group, and then together we walked to the orientation room again.
We walked straight across the ship and into the room without a word. There were a few people that I knew of and was able to, however most of them did not seem like they would be important or worth talking to.
I was sitting next to Sam and then Maya and a boy with brown hair. The girl sitting next to me was named Lisa, and I was able to chat with her a bit. The next people in line were called into the room, and we continued to talk as others filled the room until there was a group of 10 other people my age.
Alright, I'm going to go down the line and let you guys know what you need to do. You can talk after that. Amber?
Yeah, go ahead.
'There are some scanners to your left, scan your body with the button in the middle, then speak when the light turns green. Hope to see you on the other side.
'Yep, see you there. I scanned my body and moved up in front of the table at the bottom of the wall. Everyone else did the same, except Lisa.
'Life is a journey, but before you go on that journey, you need to know where you are going. We all drank water as the man talked, one of his other rules.
'Basically it doesn't matter who you are. If you want to go and do something you need to make sure you are prepared for the journey regardless, because it does not all go according to plan. He looked across the room to make sure we were listening, and then pointed to a point on the wall.
'The blue arrows show where the mass drivers are located. The green arrows show the library and labs. The red arrows show food, water, and power systems. Just about everyone who leaves does not come back unless it is for some form of help, the longer you stay outside on Earth the less likely it is that you will return.
We all nodded, not really paying attention to the other information that was flying across the screen. We had all heard the same thing many times before. Earth was by far the most unstable planet that appeared after the war.
People who were born on Earth were the most susceptible to radiation, and the radiation would get worse over time. Even though it had been 14 years since the war, people still died every year. The only living things that existed on Earth were plants, animals, insects, and other outside life forms.