Preparation Poll: You

[Velox]

Vote here for your favorite Preparation story; entries have been randomized. Please MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL ENTRIES BEFORE VOTING.Voting begins now and will end on June 11th at 11:59 PM EST. Entries that do well will move on to the Preparation Final Poll, which will be posted at the conclusion of the 12th round preliminary poll.

• [*]The Beckoning of Space No matter what any mere landlubber told you to the contrary, space was indeed the last frontier. The endless void beckoned citizens to literally reach for the stars, to solve the problem of surviving the vast journey of light-years from planet to hopefully habitable planet. Here, the views were breathtaking, even through the tiny, reinforced windows that looked upon the sheer, empty blackness of space. Of course they knew there were things out there: stars, planets, comets, asteroids, black holes, dark matter, etc. It was incredibly hard to imagine, though. The closest humanity had ever gotten was throwing out unmanned probes to take pictures of faraway places. Some cynics doubted humankind's ability to ever send people out to Mars, even, as hibernation techniques had always failed and travel faster than light was fiction. But there were still dreamers. The dreamers that held onto their dreams when they grew up became the astronauts and cosmonauts which inhabited this space station, currently circling somewhere high above India. The romanticized version of space travel was laughable to the astronauts. Gravity on ships, sound in space, and faster than light travel were all tropes that were adopted by the population of Earth as ostensible fact. Even the relatively simple task of going extravehicular involved tedious steps. He had about half the suit on right now, and his comrades were busy floating around him, assembling and checking the individual bits of the complex space armor. It was tedious beyond all imagining, but hey, at least it had air conditioning. As any human being would, he would have not been able to take the process of putting on a spacesuit if he didn't have so much to think about. That was another thing: in space, you had to think. If you didn't think, you endangered yourself and everyone else onboard. Even when immobile, he had work to do in the form of intense mental preparation. You see, this was to be his first jaunt into space, and even the veterans of extravehicular activity thought it daunting. In space, Newton's Third Law was your best friend. If you were too far away from the vehicle, you can't really get yourself back, so you have to hurl something in the opposite direction. The equal and opposite reaction generated would throw you back to the vehicle, and back to safety. In space, you had to check your oxygen constantly. In space, you had to know your limits of energy and time. In space, the sun's weather predicted activity. Solar storms could make an astronaut sick from radiation, possibly starting cancer. In space, you had to be aware of tiny meteorites that constantly pelted your suit. Just one in the right place still had the capacity to incapacitate. All of these things, and more, were running through his head, vying for attention. He slowed down, focusing on whatever happened to come to his mind first: He'd be in space. Space. That was his dream. Space. Before he was aware of it, his helmet had been locked on. "You ready?" asked the earpiece in his helmet. He answered to the affirmative in a slightly wavering voice. No matter how much time he had to go through his preparation, he still felt like he was unprepared. Sweat dropped off of his eyebrows, defying the air conditioning. But he also knew that right now was as good of a time as any. Space. Stepping into the airlock, he waited, his final mental preparations sprinting through his head. Space. The air was sucked from its lock, and a second later, the doors opened soundlessly. Space. -------[*]To Be a Warrior I closed the monastery doors behind me, shutting out the whirling snow. Slowly I stepped forward into the empty courtyard. I felt disappointment welling up within me. I had heard rumors that the monastery was abandoned, but I had refused to believe them. But I saw no signs of life. Had I really traveled all this way for nothing more than a legend? I couldn't decide between relief, surprise and fear when I found myself suddenly surrounded by a ring of ebon-clad men. I decided fear was appropriate as they struck out simultaneously, battering me from all sides before taking my feet from beneath me. I had hiked for days through snow and sleet, for miles up steep inclines and sheer cliff faces. I was tired, I was hungry, and I was cold. And now this was the greeting I received? I refused to take it lying down, literally or otherwise. I leapt to my feet again and, before my attackers could react, kicked one back. I raised my arms to block punches from two of the others and then seized their arms. I jumped up to kick at the other two and upset the balance of those I was holding. The first regained his feet and lunged at me. He punched and kicked and chopped, and I matched him blow for blow. His foot connected with my stomach but I grabbed his knee and twisted. While he fell over I turned to his brothers who were back on their feet. "Enough!" I turned to identify the speaker. A man with two short strands of beard and deep eyes stepped out of the shadows. His hands were folded behind his back and his lips were drawn in a long frown. "Who are you?" he asked. "Just a man like yourself, seeking to make the world a better place." "And how is it you came to find us?" "A mutual friend told me." He raised an eyebrow. "And why is it you have come?" "I wish to join you." "Join us! And what makes you think you are worthy? My warriors are trained to fight a hundred in battle." "And I just held my own against five of them." "My warriors are brave." "Give me a few more minutes, and they'll turn tail." "You are bold, I'll give you that. But being a warrior means much more than that. My warriors are selfless." "I didn't come all this way in hopes of ransacking an ancient temple." "My warriors are persistent and tenacious." "This wasn't the only mountain I've climbed searching for this monastery." "My warriors are devoted. Can you dedicate yourself entirely to our cause?" "I would lay down my life for it." "My warriors are humble." I hung my head. "That I am not." "And for that reason," said the man, "I believe you are." He regarded me. "But answer this: Why is it you wish to join us?" "My life has been a penurious one. I've been oppressed by hooligans and thieves. I have seen firsthand the damage done by wrongdoers. I havelearned to fight back. I believe it is my purpose to protect the innocent, and that is what I have been trying to do. But I heard that here I could become more than just that. I heard that you could give me the strength I need to be a hero." The man was silent. Then his lips curved into a smile. "You are among the worthy. Your life has prepared you for my teachings." He bowed to me. "Welcome, brother! Welcome to the League of Shadows!" -------[*]Serious Preparation I had been elected the commanding officer. It wasn’t quite a position that I had volunteered for, but I had the qualifications for it, and it was a job that had to be completed. I was the one who had to make all the preparations. I summoned my second in command. While I was responsible for everything overall, at least he was there to assist me. Or, at the very least, relay the statistics to me. “How’s the packing going?” I asked in a stern voice. “98% of all the material has been packed,” he responded. “Was it all packed properly? Some of this stuff is fragile, and we can’t afford any damage!” “We have properly secured everything that is delicate,” the assistant said. “However, in some cases, we had to disassemble the products. They can be put back together when we arrive, but it will take time.” “Time is of the essence,” I growled. “But we will have to make due. How about the trucks?” “They have all been inspected and are ready to embark. We are still in the process of loading the material onto them, and we should have just enough room to squeeze everything in. But it’ll be a tight fit.” “And are they all fueled up?” My assistant did not reply, and I turned my gaze upon him. “Are they fueled?” I repeated. “Answer me!” “Well,” the assistant said hesitatingly. “We borrowed some from a previous unit, and their gas levels are precariously low.” “Then fuel them up!” “Sir, prices have been rising for the last couple of days, and funding won’t necessarily be able to cover all the costs!” “Don’t talk to me about funding!” I shouted. “This is an essential operation, and I needed those trucks fueled yesterday. See to it that this happens!” “Yes sir,” he said. He paused as he readjusted his ear piece. “Um, sir, we have some incoming news.” “What is it?” I asked, already hearing concern in his voice. “Another exercise has just been announced. It will require the submitting of daily reports for… for the next twelve days!” “Impossible!” I shouted. “It will conflict with our current mission. We can’t do both of these at the same time! They will have to reschedule.” “I’m sorry, sir, but this comes from the top. It looks like we’ll have to work on both tasks at the same time.” “Miscreants,” I grumbled. “Don’t they realize how important this is? We’ve been preparing for this for months, and then they throw something new at us at the last minute.” “They claim it’ll only take twenty minutes to complete daily,” my assistant said. “Forty, tops.” “We’ll have to do our best to complete both, but our priorities lie within our initial undertaking,” I said. “Sacrifices will have to be made.” “Yes sir. I will pass along your message.” “There’s no time for that!” I said. “We embark for the Lego Convention tomorrow at O Eight-Hundred hours! Men, prepare for Bricks Cascade!” ------[*]Home “Prepare for the storm of the eon - when mountains will be moved by great continents of ice, when the howl of a hurricane is no more than breeze, when baseball sized hale is considered microscopic - trust not your belongings to the cellar, for their very foundations will be ripped from the ground; trust not your money to the safest bank vaults, for every last credit will be scattered like leaves in an autumn wind. When the time comes, be prepared to escape from this turbulent world - prepare yourselves for the journey, homeward bound, that we have planned for centuries - to reunite with our fathers, to touch the soil where it all began: Earthward bound!” I switched off the newsfeed. Of all the ridiculous things these people advertise - the destruction of a colony? Though I suppose this isn’t exactly your average colony composed of either deported criminals, scientists, or voluntary citizens - this was rather accidental. Long before I was born, a starship full of scientists, astrophysicists, and miners travelled to a distant star to mine a planet composed entirely of precious stones and invaluable metals. The scientists came because the planet was located just within the goldilocks zone, and their fancy observational equipment hinted toward the possibility of sustaining terrestrial life. They were quite correct: 90% of the surface was covered with water, a perfect atmosphere...and a massive planet just next door. Once dispatching a landing pod to explore our planet, the scientists were unable to return to the mothership due to the terrible tides and extreme storms. Rescue missions were unsuccessful, and half the crew of 1713 was marooned on this planet, an involuntary colony. Generations later, we are preparing to say goodbye to this paradise we have created. ----- Crowds walked into the grand airships, which would soon transport the involuntary colony out of the atmosphere, fueled by the storm. I can’t help overhearing one young boy badgered his grandfather with questions: “granddaddy, what will Earth be like?” The man, much aged since the spice stores were depleted, replied to his grandson. “Absolutely gorgeous. The cities were incredible, buildings as tall as the waves, but they would yield to the endless, untamed wilderness. I never ventured outside the city gates, but the holograms were just incredible. You will love it, I’m sure.” I still can’t believe that after all this time, we are just leaving; I can only hope that we return within my lifetime. ----- Every airship prepared for liftoff, every seed discovered on the planet stored away, every passenger in their seats; we are ready to leave. The atmosphere left behind, these airships would provide a constant propulsion toward Earth. Though the journey would take thousands years traveling just below the speed of light, we will be asleep until our arrival. The storm is at its peak: though we can’t feel it, we can see and hear it on our screens, our cities being plucked from the ground, which is swallowed up in tsunami kilometers high. The cameras switch off. Nothing left of our brief, yet well established civilization. Everything we worked for, gone. ----- We all crowd to the viewports, trying to catch a glimpse of our new home. Where are those cities that covered the continents? Where are those great forests, the oceans? Where is planet Earth? Gone. Time to return home. -------[*]Departure I looked at the suitcase resting on my bed, its interior packed with everything I would need in the coming months. I had spent the last few weeks repeating an endless cycle of planning, packing, checking, re-planning, and re-packing, but now I finally felt as if I was ready to leave. Well, almost ready; I still had to say goodbye to my friends and family. Saying my farewells had been the part I least looked forward to. In fact, you could say I had dreaded it for the past few weeks. I already knew what they would say, but that wouldn’t make things any easier. Saying goodbye is never easy. I left my room, intending to get a drink of water before returning to my sulk in my room. Unfortunately, the moment I stepped foot in the kitchen what seemed like a swarm of people descended upon me. I’d been captured by the enemy, and would soon be forced to endure all manner of horrible interrogation techniques. For the next few minutes, I warded off question after question in my desperate attempt to first relieve my thirst and return to my room. Eventually, my captors decided it was a lost cause and allowed me to make a retreat, an act I took no hesitation in participating in. When I had returned to my room, I sat down on my bed and stared at the television absentmindedly. As boring as it was, it was still better than saying goodbye, I decided. Eventually, though, I knew I would have to say farewell. All my packing had been an attempt to delay that moment for as long as possible, but it had finally arrived. No matter how I might have felt about it, the indisputable truth was that it was something I had to do. I had to leave properly, or not at all. It was time to say goodbye. Goodbye to the house I had grown up in. Goodbye to the friends I had made. Goodbye to the family I cherished. Goodbye to my childhood. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was also time to say hello. Hello to new friends. Hello to new opportunities. Hello to difficult times. Hello to adulthood. I was entering a new part of my life, but I was still reluctant to let go of the past. Goodbye. It was all I could manage to say, even in my own thoughts. Goodbye. ------[*]Friendship They were coming. Those people. Those wonderful people who I had once called friends. They were coming. It was my own fault. I had tricked them. Deceived them. Taken their money and tried to run, but they had found me. They were coming. I sat in my chair, waiting. The TV was on, but I had stopped watching it some time ago. I tried to pay attention, to distract myself, but to no avail. I tried to distract myself by making a drink, picking up an old book, even looking over my tax forms one last time. But nothing could fully distract me from that one, simple fact. They were coming. I did not know what they would do. They would be angry, I knew. There would be shouting, harsh words, I expected there would be pain. But what could I do? I did not have the money to return to them. I had tried running, hiding, but still they had found me. All I could do was sit, wait and try, however uselessly, to prepare myself. There is a knock on the door. I freeze up, tense, knowing who it must be. After a few seconds it comes again, louder this time. I rise slowly from my chair. I am not ready for this. I can't face them now, I need- it doesn't matter what I need. I have no choice. I shuffle slowly to the door, trying mentally to harden myself against the fear and the shame. It doesn't work. The knocking comes again, louder again and more insistent. I open the door slowly and see them standing there, stern expressions on their faces. I am not prepared. This will not go well for me. *Thirty minutes later* They have gone, and I am left...astounded. I had tried, fruitlessly, to prepare for a number of eventualities. But the one thing I had not prepared for, the one thing I had not expected, was kindness. They had been angry, yes, but they had understood. They knew I had not taken the money out of greed or selfishness. They knew that I needed it, that I was desperate. It was not right, what I had done, but they had even agreed to help me, to support me. After all I had done to them. The promises I made, the lies I invented. How did I deserve this? The TV is still on, but I cannot see it. My eyes are clouded with tears. I sit, staring into nothing, trying to understand. How did helping me benefit them? It did not, could not, make sense. It was not until much later that I realised, and I was ashamed it had taken me so long. It was friendship. It mattered to them more than what they had lost, and they were willing to make greater sacrifices still to keep it. In my desperation, I had not understood. I saw only the problems and a way to fix them, not seeing or caring what it might cost in the long term. This understanding brought me to tears, but I was smiling as they ran down my face. I had made a terrible mistake, but life had given me a second chance. An opportunity improve. And I would embrace that opportunity with open arms. I was prepared to do better. -------

[Sumiki]

One, my own.

[Excelsior]

I voted for 1.-Excelsior

[Ballom Nom Nom]

I voted for number one as well.~B~

[WriterofReapers]

I voted for number four.There's some saying for this situation, but I can't think of what it may be... Something about breaking a comb? I dunno...

[fishers64]

All of these were terrific, but 3 stood out to me. So I voted for it.

[Nuile the Paracosmic Tulpa]

I voted for my own here.

From the desk of Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

[Velox]

Polling period over; poll closed.