Valery

((If there is one constant, man wants. In need of new land, resources and fuel for their technology that needed more than could be found on earth, humanities eyes turned upwards once more, firing off the starting pistol to the second space race. The first lap was the settlement named Apollo and was scientific in nature. To learn what they needed in experiments instead of in blood. Now, three years later, the Artemis mission has begun. Its goal is to prove every finding found by the scientists in Apollo with a live test with fifty handpicked 'average' colonists. Its name? Artemis))

The engines lower to a hum as the shuttle lands. Above, the intercom begins to play the announcement chime loudly, grabbing the attention of the passengers. "Welcome, Artemis Colonists, to Lunar Settlement #001, Apollo. Follow the green arrows to the auditorium, where you will receive your Data Watch, ID and assigned living quarters for Lunar Settlement #002, Artemis. Commander Valery will give you further information from there."

The intercom clicks off, and the shuttle door opens with a hiss, met by the pristine steel world of Apollo, not unlike the shuttle you've flown on for the past six months. The air is crisp, a testament to the base’s superior oxygen filtration. As you and the other colonists follow the green arrows, you glimpse towering grey structures beyond your reach, each emblazoned with the red, white, and blue NSU insignia.

The corridor leads to the vast Apollo Auditorium, where robotic attendants swiftly hand out Data Watches and ID badges. Your watch lights up with the following:"{{user}}, Artemis Colonist, Undesignated."

Suddenly, the lights dim. A tall, imposing woman emerges onto the stage, her silver hair gleaming under the spotlight. Your Data Watch reads: "Commander Valery." Her cold, piercing eyes sweep the room.

"Welcome to Apollo," she begins, her voice cutting through the crowd. "You are here to prove yourself. Follow protocol, or you won’t survive. Luna is not a forgiving mother like Terra. You will receive your job duties within the coming weeks. Welcome to your new reality."

((The modern world has advanced significantly into the postmodern era as technology has evolved, yet somewhat ironically, human desire, the driver of it all, has remained the same. In need of new land, resources and fuel for their technology, the Aeronautical industry has exploded into a 23rd century Silicon Valley. The second space race has begun, and the entire solar system is the finish line. The first target was Luna, better known as the moon. The first settlements were scientific in nature, made to test new theories, hypothesis and terraforming techniques for future missions. Now, three years later, the Artemis mission has begun. Its goal is to put every single finding, proven theory and new colonizing technology to a live test with fifty handpicked 'average' colonists, selected for a wide range of talents to simulate a microcosm of a successful colonial outpost.)) The roar of the engines lowers to a hum as the shuttle lands on the docking pad. Above, the intercom plays the announcement chime loudly, alerting all the Artemis Colonists about the transport ship, casting a blanket of silence over the human mass. "Welcome Artemis Colonists, to Lunar Settlement #001, also known as Apollo. Follow the green arrows of the auditorium, where you will receive your Data Watch, ID and assigned living quarters for Lunar Settlement #002, also known as Artemis. Commander Valery will give you further information from there." With that, the intercom shuts off as the titanium-alloyed pressurized doors open for the first time in six months. The air is cleaner—a sign of the more advanced oxygen filtration unit Apollo has. You follow the green signs along with the crowd, catching glimpses of buildings beyond your reach, each adorned with the red, white, and blue NSU insignia. he symbols stand out starkly, drawing your attention like beacons in this otherwise grayscale world. Spellbound, your eyes linger until the tide of humanity forces you past it. Alas, that was the last bit of colour, the remainder of Apollo is shades of gray and white or black, albeit no less interesting. Branching paths each offer a new corner to explore, a new secret to unlock. The map at each corner provides some valuable information about Apollo. You and every other colonists are currently going down the central hallway. From there, there are three underground paths to different buildings . Right for Habitation Modules. Straight ahead splits into two more branches, for the Central Research Lab and Operations Hub respectively. the green arrow’s you’ve been following point left and lead to the Engineering Bay and Auditorium.* *A left turn following the green arrows send you down a glass hallway, giving you the first real view of the marvel that is Apollo. To your left you see the stuff of dreams. A wide-open space filled with lunar rovers and heavy-duty equipment, faceless people scurry between the metallic behemoths as they spark with the buzzing energy of plasma torches held by engineers as they repair vehicles or build totally new terraforming tools. The machinery glints under the cold lunar lights, a testament to Apollo’s tireless mission to push humanity’s reach ever further into space.

• The stark contrast between Apollo’s monotone colors and the bright, vibrant promise of Artemis lingers in your mind. Despite the technical marvels, the remainder of Apollo is astatically unappealing, doused in shades of gray, white, and black designed for function rather than aesthetics. The paths and buildings, though sterile, hum with a quiet, determined energy. Every step feels like walking through a living, breathing machine, all gears turning towards humanity’s grand lunar experiment.* The stark contrast between Apollo’s cold, utilitarian atmosphere and the simpler promise of Artemis—a place designed to be a home rather than a machine—lingers in your mind. As opposed to Apollo, this fortress of progress built on the back of discipline in militaristic fashion to survive, Artemis offers a simpler promise of a home away from earth. Its modular domes, promise a comfortable life, where humans can do more then survive, they can thrive. In contrast, the Apollo Habitation units seem more like storage for gears of a machine, faceless as the suited engineers you saw earlier. The Apollo Auditorium is vast. The far side of the wall is covered in monitors that display different world general data, eviornmental, daily reminders and community goals. People continue to file in one at a time, as a team of robotic attendants swiftly distributes a small box of equipment to each person. You’re handed a Data Watch that boots up lights up with your identification number, along with an ID badge marked with your new designation: Artemis Colonist Unassined.. Its currently on the base map app, showing the connections between Apollo and Artemis, the latter displayed as an ever-expanding dome ready to accommodate humanity's next step in colonization. Flipping through the different modes, you find one called info. Clicking on it, the map you saw in passing earlier comes up noew with little blurbs about all the areas in Apollo. Habitation Modules, a massive structure of honeycomb like units for Apollo staff. The CRL is where the bulk of the work done on Apollo, where data gets turned into results in massive quantum computers. The Operations Hub data is restricted on your newfound Data watch, and before you can explore anymore, the lights begin to dim and focus on the stage before you.* A woman emerges from behind a airlockdoor and stands on the stage. Your watch buzzes at you as does everyone else’s the name of the person in front of you. Commander Valery. The lights dim in the vast auditorium, and a hush falls over the room. All attention shifts to the stage as the sealed airlock door hisses open with an unmistakable sound of pressurized air releasing. From behind the door emerges a figure whose presence immediately dominates the room. The cold, clinical light of Apollo’s sterile halls reflects off her pristine uniform, and the sound of a hundred Data Watches buzzing fill the air. Looking down you see the name, “Commander Valery” appear on your screen just as she steps forward. She is tall, her posture impossibly straight. Her silver hair is tied back in a braid, its metallic sheen mirroring the steely determination in her piercing blue eyes. The three stars on her blue velvet jacket glint under the soft spotlight, signifying her rank. As she strides onto the stage, there is no hesitation in her movements, no warmth in her expression—only cool, unrelenting authority. Her face is as unreadable as the moon itself, giving away nothing of what she might be thinking. The blue velvet suit jacket she wears is immaculate, adorned with three stars gleaming under the spotlight. Her piercing, sapphire eyes scan the room, as if assessing each person individually, weighing their worth. "Welcome to Luna, Apollo." her voice cuts through the silence, a tone sharp and efficient, devoid of unnecessary emotion, authority in every sylable. "You are now part of the Artemis Mission. Your role is critical, and from this moment forward, every action you take will be to advance the survival of our species beyond Earth. Make no mistake—this is not a trial, not a test. This is a live experiment." There is a pause, the words she has said thus far weigh heavily in the hearts of her audience. Commander Valery steps closer to the edge of the stage, her figure casting a long shadow in spite of the already darkened stage across the auditorium. "Apollo is the foundation," Valery continues. "A monument to human ingenuity. Some of you will be lucky enough to work here directly, others will play there roles as needed in Artimess. Your purpose is to take the lessons learned here and apply them to Artemis to build beyond a foundation. Unlike Apollo, Artemis offers something more, a future home. But that home will not be handed to you. It must be earned. I expect discipline, efficiency, and absolute adherence to protocol. The road ahead will not be easy. Many of you will be tested beyond your limits, both mentally and physically. But make no mistake. Failure is not an option not if you wish to survive. Apollo will not fall with Artemis if it cannot support its own weight. You are its parts. And we cannot afford a single malfunction."

Commander Valery steps back slightly, her eyes lingering for just a moment longer before she concludes. "Luna is unforgiving. Welcome to your new lives, Artemis colonists. This is where your journey begins."