The Painkillers

[Paradox]

~
Welcome!
General overview:
Planet- Mars
Year- 2144
City- New California

We are The Painkillers, a small group of hopefuls/rebels, and this is Project Reach.
What is Project Reach, you ask? Well, it all started about a year ago, the year was 2143. The planet Earth, which happens to be the birthplace of humankind, was unexpectedly evacuated. Nobody knew why, but it happened fast. Billions upon billions of people (the population is a lot smaller than it is in 2010 because of mass genocides by hostile alien races and the coming of a second ice age) were forced to haul onto cramped ships and fly into the abyss.

A lot of people didn't survive the trip. Food and water was limited, and eventually people began to starve to death. By the time the massive fleet of star ships reached a terraformed Mars, 1/3 of the people had died, including my only friend Jen. She was the last shred of the life I once had. Lost and alone, I sought out other people like me. Eventually we came together and formed this small force of elites. By the way, my name is Astrid, I'm one of the "elders" in The Painkillers. So, you think you're like us? Well, just fill out these forms and you'll be good to go.
*Hands you the forms*

* is a required field. (Please PM me your profiles)

*Full Name:
*Appearance: [enclose a photo, if you have one, so the group can get to know your face. If you have no photo, give a brief description incl. height, weight, and hair colour.]
*Age: [must be above 18]
Gender:
Small Bio:
*Why you think you should be a part of The Painkillers:
*Would you like to participate actively in Project Reach, or assist?:

Please enjoy, we're all here to have fun.

[Paradox]

Astrid glanced at the image of the planet she once knew. Earth... What happened to it? Something didn't feel right, but she couldn't quite figure out what. She looked down at Mars' red soil beneath her feet, then glanced at Earth. The soil on Earth was once a hearty brown color, and now it was turning red. As for Mars, although its soil was still red, it was a longshot from how it looked before terraforming.
"When are we leaving?" asked one girl, probably 18. Astrid sat for a moment, then replied "Soon."
The Painkillers were going back to Earth soon, and Astrid was feeling jittery. They would need to bring oxygen tanks with them, just in case the atmosphere had changed at all, and protective suits to wear in case they came across toxic material.
You would think that once the human race left the Earth it would start to get better, but it didn't. Slowly the colors of the land and water were changing. Its only been a year or two since we left, so Astrid had a feeling that the problems on Earth were not just chemical or atmosphere changes.

[Maeve]

Victoria heard someone asking when they would leave and the answer of one of the elders. She was still pretty new in the group and didn't know much of the other people, though she remembered the woman. She approached Astrid, slightly hesitant. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

[Paradox]

Astrid looked up from her computer station and smiled at the timid face that looked down on her. "Let me think for a moment." She said sweetly, turning a lock of hair over in her hands. There was plenty for her to do.
"Have you had any kind of experience with computers? You could do some computer work. Or if you're more of a hands-on kinda person, you could help at the first-aid station. Neither job requires much experience, but you'll need to be taught anyhow..." she said, trailing off into her own thoughts.
"If you'd like to do some computer work, you can stick around here with me. I'd be happy to teach you some things." she stated, looking down at the computer screen, which was bright against the shadows behind it.
"If you feel more interested in the first-aid job, you can go talk to him." she pointed at a tall, skinny, dark-skinned boy. "His name is Greg."

[Maeve]

Victoria looked around her, at the computer screen first, then at the man Astrid was pointing to, then back at the computer screen and Astrid. "I, uh, I think I'd be more useful doing computer work," she answered. True, she didn't know much about computers, except the obvious basics, but it was still more than the few things she knew about first aid. Even if the elder had told her the jobs didn't require much experience, she still thought computer work would be the easiest thing for her to learn. The girl chased her thoughts and waited beside the elder, unsure of what to do next.

[Paradox]

Astrid smiled. "Alright, we should get started right away then."
The two women sat there for a moment, silent. Then Astrid said "so, where should we start?"
She sorted through paperwork and ran her fingers over the keyboard of her computer.
"Okay, so, there are a few free computer stations. I'll take you to yours. It will be "your" station until you decide to move on or resign from computer work. In other words, you're responsible for anything that happens to the info on this computer.
"Everything you do on this computer will be important, so please, for the love of god, don't lose it." Astrid finished with a grin. She brought Victoria down two or three computer stations to an empty one. "This here will be your station. Since its close to me and a few other veterans of the computer world," Astrid gestured at her station, and the one directly to the right of Victoria's, "it will be easy for you to get help. For now I'll teach you the basics.
"This is the program we all use. Its a collective database called CATSA for short. Don't even ask me what it stands for because I really don't think you want to know.
"Anyways, let me show you the basics. You'll be getting info constantly from our satellites which study Earth. Its really quite an interesting job. You have to check for any differences in Earth's atmosphere, temperatures, and other things. See on this side, we've recorded what the numbers usually are. And on this side of the screen" Astrid pointed to the left side of the screen, "is the recorded statistics for what it is now. You just have to compare the two numbers... If there is a difference of more than 7, I'd like you to come and see me, and me only. We have to fill out some paperwork to record our sightings, but we'll get to that later.
"While you're watching the numbers I'd like you to watch the satellites. Each computer worker takes turns watching the satellites. There are thirty seven of us right now, so it will be a while until you have to do it again." Astrid opened a different program. It showed blueprints of a space probe. "This is what one of our satellites looks like. There are ten of them. They collect the data that we compare." Astrid looked at Victoria to make sure she wasn't lost. Victoria looked nervous. "Don't worry, you'll do great." Astrid said with a smile. "The entire purpose of our little gang is to find out what happened to Earth, so this is probably one of the most important jobs there is."
Feeling confident in Victoria's abilities, Astrid decided to leave her on her own for a while. "Remember," she said, "If you have any questions, any at all, just come to me. I'm only two stations over."