The Genesis Chronicles.

The pods struck the ground with tremendous force, burying themselves slightly with loud thuds. The ground around them was scorched from the friction with the air they had received, but the contents of them were unharmed. The first few pods were entirely metal, with hatches on the exterior; these stored items such as food, clothes, and weapons, each with a full name stenciled onto the front. The next few pods, were different however, the fronts being made of glass, revealing the frozen beings within. Their memories were unaltered, like many might believe; but some would prefer to forget. They had been lucky enough to be able to join the New Genesis program, a program that would help the inhabitants of earth survive once the world was destroyed. And destroyed it was.
Earth was unable to sustain the races that inhabited it anymore. After the ores within the planet were removed for industrial purposes, the earth was an empty husk, a frail shell with over a trillion lives upon it. A husk which imploded upon itself, destroying the world.
After a few minutes, the pods had cooled enough to allow the inhabitants to exit their deep cryogenic stasis. The first door slid open, and out stepped the half-avian, half-human form of Jack Ike. As he stepped out of his pod, the first thing he did was stretch the large, obsidian-black wings on his back, then take a breath. He ruffled the feathers on his head, then stepped towards the storage pod that had his name on it.

This man, along with the others in the pods, was Colony Omnicron of the New Genesis program.

(Join quick; once we leave the pod area, nobody else will be able to join for awhile. Pretty much any race is accepted: Full human, Neko, mostly animal, pretty much anything as long as your character can talk.)

In the second pod, another life stirred, half-conscious, twitching as it struggled with visions that suddenly played behind it's eyelids. The light it was unaccustomed to. The absence of what had once held it frozen let loose the dreams kept at bay since pod 188 was deported.

Then, suddenly, mercifully, it jerked into consciousness. It crumpled, squeezing it's eyes shut. The pod door slid open. Young lungs gathered air, shuddered, their own function almost foreign to them. And it wasted it's own first breath to make a scream--a roaring, inhuman noise that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it had skin gray like a salamander. It's first noise poured out into the open air, loud enough, loud enough to...what? Not to shatter glass, or burst eardrums, just to make it's own ears ring and it's throat raw and scratchy. Only loud enough for it to feel alive again.

It pressed it's fists into the floor of the pod and careened forward, pressing it's forehead against it, too. It had long, black hair that spilled over it's face. It was human, and looked that way, all except for the skin: dark grayish-blue everywhere but it's face, chest, belly. The latter two parts were covered with the clothes had been given before deportment.

It was she.

She (eyed closed, still) fumbled around for something that would close the pod door, so that she could stay--forever, maybe?--in the unfeeling state her mind and body were used to. But nothing happened. No button, nothing, just...air, the curving wall, the stupid, cold floor that she wanted to bang her head against. Anything but going out. She screamed again and folded in on herself even more, hiding in hair, screaming, breathing, screaming; angrily, angrily screaming while she pressed her forehead into the floor.

In the third pod, another piece of life struggled against its confinement, a writhing mass of black. A flash of ivory came, and the thing somehow forced itself out. The black form growled harshly, and extended its raven-black wings and flapping them once. The large wolf snarled, his stunning red eyes glowing. He was not happy about this at all. He sheathed and unsheathed his claws, getting used to this new feel, this new fell he did not understand. The ebony pressed his auds back, then pushed them forward again. He could hear minute sounds he hadn't realized before: the ruffling of his black feathers, and the heavy breathing of...

He turned, and noticed other pods. Other forms of life. Including one that stood, extending his own wings. A human-- no. This creature was not a human, but something else. The wolf growled harshly, struggling to think. He bared his teeth in irritation. What is this place?! his mind roared in his head. He needed an answer. Needed it.

Jack was now properly dressed, before wearing only a singlet and underwear and now wearing jeans and an unbuttoned leather jacket, turned upon hearing the screaming. "It's not coming back you know. It's out of fluid, and I highly doubt we're gonna have the technology to make more for a very long time. You'd have to come out anyway, otherwise the Program would be useless." He said, reaching back into the pod with his name on it, and sorting out his possessions. "We might as well introduce ourselves to each other, seeing how we're probably stuck together for the rest of our lives. My name is Jack Ike, I was a mercenary for hire, I'm 22 as of August fourth." He pulled out what looked like some sort of digital calendar, which had been counting the days while in the pod. "Correction, twenty-four as of August fourth. We've been in stasis for two years it seems."

The ebony wolf growled, his British-accented voice deep, "And I am Viggo Gracchus, though just Gracchus, please. I was a humanlike creature once, but when the time came, I decided to become wolf. I was Guardian of somebody-or-the-other, and I dunno as to how old I am. Shouldn't matter to any of you, anyway." Gracchus beat his wings again. "I dearly hope I'm not stuck with anybody for the rest of my life. I'd rather be in Elysium than in this dratted place," Gracchus snarled, tapping his shiny black claws against the floor.

The person in the second pod shrieked again, only this time it was more out of surprise than upset. She sat up quickly and scooted backwards until she was pressed against the wall, breathing ragged.

Her eyes opened. They were round, black. Amphibian.

She listened.

Then, suddenly, she blurted out, "Pia"; horrified, Pia covered her mouth. She looked away, hoping that then maybe they would, too, and focused on blending into the wall. Alas, she was no chameleon.

"Well if what you say about your age is true, your probably going to be here for a very long time. I'm going to take a guess and say neither of you read the explanation book before being cryo'd? Because it's fairly simple to explain. Earth is dead, we are it's only hope of it's races surviving, and as such we've been launched deep into space and arrived on an uncolonised planet to begin again. This means we basically start from the Stone Age, with one or two exceptions depending on what you brought with you." He said, pulling a rifle out of his storage pod and slinging it over his back. "So... Yeah. We're stuck here. Forever."

Gracchus frowned. "Are you quite sure I am from that planet, Earth?" He shook his head, red fire smoking and flaming in his eyes. "Nuh-uh. I am a kappura, not an insolent being such as you." He flashed his ivories once, satisfied. "And as for you in the tubul, Pia, I suggest you come out now." He dragged his claws over the floor, making a sharp screeching sound. Gracchus looked into his pod. He slipped a chain around his neck, on which hung a corked tube of smoky substance. There was a metal bracelet too, that he clapped around one of his front legs. Gracchus tested the device, grabbing a couple rounds with his handlike paws and punching them into little holes. He aimed at a wall, and fired. For a moment, all was white, then, when the dust cleared, there was a giant hole in the wall. Gracchus looked at the hole, slightly surprised. "Wow. I can't believe this piece of junk still works." He slung a belt containing multiple rounds over his shoulder. "Well, we have to get out of this place sometime. Why not now?" the impatient kappura grumbled.

"Oh great. Your one of those 'Holier-than-thou-infidel' types. Juuust perfect." Jack cleared his throat, then began speaking again, but in a different language. "Fág do dearcadh pompous ag an doras, agus amhras orm go mór go gunna ag dul a bheith ar aon úsáid anseo. Tá súil agam cinnte a thabhairt leat rud éigin níos oiriúnaí chun fiaigh, do asal ard ríoga." He placed emphasis on the third last word, and took a mocking tone with the last sentance. Jack shook his head. "Bloody idiot..."

Gracchus frowned as the other male began speaking in another language. "Meh dunar hut veesa! Veekar nonvort!" As he spoke, he motioned vigorously with his hands, then caught himself, realizing he was speaking and signing in his own language. He grumbled, continuing in English. "Who are you?!" Gracchus snarled, real fiery lava dripping down his cheek and fire leaping from his eyes.

Pia heard the voice. She heard the scratching. She saw the creature through the glass and suddenly had another list of reasons why it was better to stay inside.

However, she decided she liked her entrails more than she cared to admit and did not want them ripped out by a beast with lava-eyes, or, at least not anytime soon. The young woman discreetly slipped from her tube, seeing they were distracted with eachother, slapped her arms over her head, and ran to the pod labeled Pia Dawson. Best not to make waves, right? The salamander-girl allowed herself one peek back at the creature, then quickly looked away.

"What have I got myself into?" she whispered.

Her hand reached out and pushed in the crescent that opened up the storage pod. The door receded down inbetween two metals slats that made up the wall. Perhaps it had to do with her female-ness, or perhaps it was her quiet lab-raising, but rather than trays of weaponry she had a few books stacked up, spools of wire and thick rope. Chlorine dioxide tablets, a few knives, something compact that looked like a sort of high-tech spyglass, and a silvery box like a mini-cooler. She pulled on a cream button-up shirt over bodysuit, then a pair of jean shorts. She would actually change once she had some privacy, but for the moment--well, she had worn it for two years, what's one more day?

Pia buttoned her shirt all the way to her neck and separated her hair so that each part hung over the corresponding shoulder. It reached probably to her waist. A haircut would be in order, but not yet. First she had to get away from this boy and this...well, she didn't know about the beast. She shoved all her things into a backpack and ducked behind the pod.

Pia whipped a pocket mirror out from her bag. Round, black eyes stared back at her through the glass. She put it away. So, maybe running away wouldn't be the best idea. She laced up a pair of black tennis shoes and walked back back out from behind the pod, casually, as if nothing had happened.

Pia sat down again on the opposite side of the pod, so that she was in sight of the other two again, and leaned back to wait out the fight.

"I already told you. I'm Jack Ike, a Mercenary for hire. If the time called for it, I would hire myself too. And I might's well be the leader of this settlement, seeing how your the only competition, if you could even be called a competition, unless the lady states otherwise. Now stop crying all over the place, you'll start a forest fire." Jack growled, not amused. He went back to his pod, then continued collecting the rest of his items.

Gracchus spat out some drippy lava, then wiped some off his wing nonchalantly. "Well, JACK IKE, I am not crying. It's just what winged telekhines do when they have too much lava in their brains. Ike, named after some sort of candy or something? And I don't care if I start a forest fire. Healthy for the plants anyway." His eyes flamed up once more, and Gracchus returned to rummaging through the pod. He retrieved a few pieces of armour and proceeded to tie them into place.

Kane's 2 pods came crashing down 1 kilometre away from the dispute. The front of the pod slid open. When he woke up from his slumber he stretched his white feathered wings and squinted till his eyes adjusted to the light. Kane took a step out of the pod and start walking towards his second pod that held all his possessions. As he approached the pod it opened up. He pulled out his clothes a pare of jeans, a green T-shirt, a black jumper with a hood, a pare of socks, boots and a necklace with a cross on it. Kane put on his clothes, except his jumper, tucked his necklace under his shirt and pulled his bag out of the pod and put his jumper in that. He stuffed some caned food and bottled water into the bag. Then pulled out his trusty colt 1911 still in its holster. Kane put the belt around his waist and pushed the holster around his hip until he was comfortable with it. once he was comfortable he took out his TAC-308. Kane fiddled around with the arm-strap until it was the right length then grabbed his favourite knifes and put one in his boot and put two throwing knifes in the back of his Pistol hoister. He grabbed all the ammunition he could fit in his bag and put a clip in each gun and put both safeties on, slung the rifle over his back and started to walk.

"Ike is the name of an ancient warrior clan, and it's my family name, not my chosen name. Unlike you, who apparantly was of so little worth to his parents, they gave you a name that sounded like someone sneezing." Jack sneered. After collecting the rest of his carry able items and putting them in his bag, he felt the ground vibrate ever so slightly. "We've got a lost fellow, we'll have to find him sometime." He said, looking around. "For all you know, everything below the grass layer on this planet could be the equivelant of trinitrotoluene, or even nitroglycerine, so no it might not be good for the plants, and especially not good for us. So if your going to do it, please do it in a bowl, or better yet just shove a pair of corks in your excuse for eyesockets so it doesn't dribble out." He growled. He then twisted his neck, cracking it. "Ah, that's the spot. Two years with that has put me in a bad mood."

"Do you think I care about ancient warrior clans? Huh? I care about smart, peaceful people who correspond amongst eachother peacefully, instead of killing eachother just to make fun. And I, Gracchus," he said with an air superiority, "was named after a fine Roman senator who fought for those he protected, through a fine device called a pen." Gracchus mimed scribbling with one of his handlike paws. "Oh, how do you know that, Miss Smarty Pants," Gracchus taunted, then blew a small stream of fire through his ivories. "This cleans my mouth, especially after I-- eat. Mmm yum yum." He spotted a figure with white feathery wings. Heck, he's not goin' anywhere, Gracchus thought, loping over to the figure. He stood up to face the creature in the eye, his red eyes boiling. He sized up the figure in front of him suspiciously, then dropped down to all fours and galloped back to his pod.

"And do you think I care about ancient Roman senators? Huh?" Jack grinned smugly. "What a shame your nothing like him, because if you were, you might've actually won this argument, or at least had a chance of sentience. At this point, I'm not even properly sure if your sapient or not." When the streams of lava hit the ground, there was a faint crackling noise, like thousands of little explosions. "See? Try it again, I dare you. I don't know it, I suspect it, and at this point it seems right, so if you could, please shove a cork in it; your eyes and your mouth." Said Jack. He watched the hellbeast wander over to the other survivor, and he had his gun ready, willing to shoot the creature if it tried anything. "You alright Pia?" He asked to the lady while the creature was coming back, making sure it wouldn't hear him.

"I...um," Pia swallowed and struggled to form the right words in her head; but after two years idle, her tongue was slow.

She gripped both straps of her backpack for support. Her eyes closed.

"That-" she said slowly,"-was not in the pamphlet. I didn't think I would ever see one so close. A kappura...I really don't think you should be so quick to argue with it." Pia opened her eyes again and stood up, keeping a watchful eye on the beast by it's pod.

Kane saw some figures in the distance. He started walking towards them when he realised that one of them was getting closer. when it got to him it stood up on two legs. Kane stopped walking and looked it in the eye. It dropped to four legs and went back to a pod. Kane shook his head, not sure if he was hallucinating and kept walking in the direction of the figures.

Gracchus did not hear the Ike speak to Pia, but he heard Pia. He grinned, and stated in his booming voice, "And I'm a runt! A small kappura! And I'm nice, compared to my brethen! If it were my brothers," he said in a softer voice, a sign of pure sympathy coming into his lava-filled eyes, "They would rip you apart and kill you before even thinking of introducing themselves. I'm an outcast from the rest of the Derkas, because I'm so like the Lappas." He sighed. "I suppose I should explain the two breeds of kappura to you, Ike. The Lappas are pure white, spit water, freeze water, do anything they like to water, while the Derkas are, well, like me. And they're supposed to be evil, but I'm not. I'm not saying the Lappas are all nice, though." He sighed again. "Hey, look, that other creature is coming. Looks like a dypa to me," he added, with a small, kind glance at Pia. He had forgotten totally about the argument.

Jack simply rolled his eyes. He wasn't interested in learning about Derks and Lepps, but couldn't be stuffed on continuing the argument. "No bloody way. Kane, is that you?" Said Jack, looking at the approaching individual. "Out of the other forty billion people that could've arrived, you managed to get sent to here? Nice." Jack finished emptying out his luggage pod with whatever he could carry, and closed the hatch. "Seeing as I seem to know the most about this, anyone got any questions about what's going to be going down, or where we are and all that?" He leaned against the pod casually, stretching his wings. If the lava crying dog had the talent of fire, his would be the skies. As long as Kane hadn't of gotten better, of coarse.

Gracchus groaned. "Not this again! We're in this place called the Underworld. We are going to be judged by the most famous, intellectual creatures in history! Now, now, now, there's no question about that." The derpa grumbled, shuffling his feet and scraping his claws against the smooth floor.

Kane herd something familiar, a voice. He couldn't figure out were he had herd it from before and then Kane realised, it was Jack. Kane sped up his pace.

Jack looked around at the grassy field, seemingly going on forever. "I think you grabbed the wrong flier, because this sure doesn't look like hell." He said.

Pia put her hand to her mouth to stifle the short, hiccuping laughter that threatened to have her in an early grave--death by clawing; quickly, she forced her lips into a serious line, swung her backpack around, and pulled out a metal cylinder. She pressed a button on the side and it opened as she situated her pack behind her.

"Ahem. Questions, ok," she began softly. "First...well, do we have any field guides on this place? I mean, flora, fauna...I'm not sure I remember just how much this place has been previously explored. And also, base. You'd think they would have sent us a pod solely for camp supplies, like tarp and bigger things like that."

She messed with the lens on her spyglass, tuning it somehow with the dials on the side. With a glance towards Jack, she put it to her eye and directed it towards the approaching figure: Kane. Black jumper, jeans, some sort of gun strapped to his belt. She lowered the spyglass, then looked at Gracchus and sighed. Something suddenly seemed to register, and she stood a little straighter. "I don't think you'd get very far trying to eat me, actually," she said matter-of-factly.