Chapter 1

Onboarding

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"...Taking a swig of the whisky inside, the captain leaned back in his chair, propped his feet onto the control panel, and sighed in content. Those company folk were good company, but sometimes a man just needs some time to himself. Of course, he’d have to finish the docking protocols later, but all he had to do was lock the Hermes in and sign off on some fancy AI commands. There was work to be done, but first: a drink!"

Author's Comment

The curtain opens on the Hermes Six's arrival, and with it Pioneer Industries' company CEO/President/something(?), Orianna Orwell. As the first chapter, the writing was the most thought out, both in regards towards Part I and the overall plot as a whole. Which also means the writing quality is all downhill from here, unfortunately.

Some general fun notes:

Trying to determine Blake’s pop culture knowledge was difficult, since things we’d know in the 21th century would be considered classics/retro. As a result, “likes super old movies” trait +1
How would Wayne drink from a flask if there's no gravity? Solution: connecting to the ISM means the Hermes would be subject to the station's own gravity generator, or something like that.
Cyril's identity changed from sheriff-like security guard to journalist, then writer, then journalist again until he just became "a guy who writes things sometimes." Currently, his schtick is day job reporter, and paranormal/unsolved mystery author livestreaming at night.

Change Notes

Because I liked the way Captain Wayne’s scene completed Chapter 1, the original ending scene of the Hermes crew gathering at the airlock was moved so that Chapter 2 started off where the chapter originally ended.
Cyril and Orianna also originally had a conversation here, but the scene was changed in favor of establishing a dynamic between Orianna and Grace, and introducing Cyril's writing specialty.
There were plans to have Blake and Wayne have longer conversations, but the chapter ended up feeling too drawn out.