Starship Trooper
Citizen
As the heavy steel door of the escape pod sealed shut behind him, William looked around the interior of the small shuttle. The astronauts were cramped, no doubt about it, wedged between piles of equipment. Every spare corner of the pod had been crammed with supplies that had been intended to allow the astronauts to survive anywhere on Earth - food, tents, first aid kits, winter clothing, and even a few pistols and rifles were just a sample of the items available to the crew. It had all seemed a bit much when William first saw it months ago, but now he was glad to have them.
Turning back to the door, he pulled a key out of one of the pockets of his space suit and unlocked a panel on the wall. Behind it was the bright, red button that would detach the pod from the IHRS and send it rocketing toward the planet. He put his thumb on the button, but hesitated. He felt like he should say something. He turned back to face the other astronauts.
"If anyone's having second thoughts about this, now's the time to say so. We know we can breathe the air down there, but other than that there are no guarantees on this, and if we don't like what we find down there, there's nothing we can do about it. Once we drop, there's no turning back."
Turning back to the door, he pulled a key out of one of the pockets of his space suit and unlocked a panel on the wall. Behind it was the bright, red button that would detach the pod from the IHRS and send it rocketing toward the planet. He put his thumb on the button, but hesitated. He felt like he should say something. He turned back to face the other astronauts.
"If anyone's having second thoughts about this, now's the time to say so. We know we can breathe the air down there, but other than that there are no guarantees on this, and if we don't like what we find down there, there's nothing we can do about it. Once we drop, there's no turning back."