Mission Objectives:
- Safely land on Earths surface. Don’t die.
- Safely determine if Earths surface is survivable. Don’t die.
- Locate former Military installation Fort Trident to be used as a shelter, base of operations and to use any supplies inside of it for survival. Don’t die.
- Use Fort Tridents long range communications systems to penetrate the irradiated atmosphere and relay information to Haven Lunar Colony. Don’t die.
- Establish a Designated Landing Zone for the Haven Exodus Ark to land safely to ensure the survival of the human race. Don’t die.
- Rebuild society. Don’t die.
Chapter 1
A Mission That Could Save Our People
Noah Bishop always thought that returning to earth would feel like going home, but as the shuttle’s hull screamed through the atmosphere, all he could think was that at least his home on the Haven Lunar Colony had never made him feel like he was going to die in a blazing metal inferno. He reached out and grabbed Adrians hand, gripping it for dear life.
“We’re gonna die!” Mira, the teams doctor, screamed from the seat across from her.
“We’re not going to die! Shut up!” Cora, the pilot, yelled back at her.
“If we do die, at least it’ll be a nice view.” Morgan, the co-pilot, thought they muttered under their breath to Cora.
“Everyone shut up.” Talia rolled her eyes. “The simulation was bumpier than this.” She laughed.
“Yeah, well I didn’t have to compensate for unpredictable weather hazards in the simulation.” Cora commented. “But” She adjusted some angle or thruster or whatever when the shuttle was suddenly hit by turbulence. “I am confident in my abilities.” Cora finished in her candorous monotone.
“If I do die, so will your kids.” Noah leaned over and laughed in Adrians ear.
“You didn’t clean out before we got in the shuttle?” Adrian narrowed his steely grey eyes at Noah. Noah shook his head explaining he didn’t have time. “Naughty. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Adrian licked his lips at Noah.
The shuttle hit another bump and Noah shuddered, remembering their sex a few hours prior…
This morning…
Noah put his ass up in the air, “Surprise!” He sang to Adrian.
“Damn baby!” Adrian whistled at his boyfriends tight entrance, nestled between his plump mounds. Noah wiggled his cheeks at Adrian, making them jiggle. “Do we have time? We’re supposed to leave in three hours.” He said, checking his watch. “We need to report to Allen and get our supplies. Then we need to get our final medical clearance.” He stepped closer and started unbuckling his belt.
“We can make time.” Noah shook again. “So stop talking business. The earth might not be survivable and if it isn’t, I want to have sex one more time before we die of radiation exposure down there.” Noah clapped his cheeks.
“Fine.” Adrian whipped his pants off and tossed them to the foot of the bed.
“Fuck…” Noah moaned as Adrian knelt down and licked his hole. “Oh, god.” Noah twitched as Adrians tongue pulsed inside him.
“Mm, I really hope this isn’t the last time I get to taste this ass.” Adrian came up for a brief moment to breathe before shoving his face back between the plump cheeks of his boyfriend. “Mm!” He growled, slapping Noah’s ass. Eliciting a yip from him.
“Damn Adrian. Let me taste that dick one more time.” Noah pulled away from Adrians’ tongue, begrudgingly.
“Anything you want baby boy.” Adrian stood up and his now eight inches of rock-hard meat stood pointing straight out. He shimmied, slapping the thick piece against each thigh.
“Fuck.” Noah’s mouth watered. “I really hope this isn’t my last time tasting this.” He commented as he crawled forward and took the penis in his hand. He stroked up and down, running his thumb along the vein on the side of the shaft.
“Fu-uck. Me too.” Adrian nudged forward. Noah flicked his tongue out and the cock bounced in response. Adrian moaned in approval. Noah flared his tongue out and swallowed the shaft whole, in one slow descending motion. “Oh…Noah…” Adrian twitched. Noah ran one hand up Adrians abs and traced them, while he braced himself by grabbing Adrians hip with the other.
“Mmm…” Noah moaned as he moved back and forth on the penis. The salty taste of Adrians skin, mixed with the sweat of the day tasted enticing. He sucked with a fervor, pulling more and more of the sweet precum out. Adrian started to buck into Noah’s face, smashing his nose with his pubes. He started to grunt as Adrians dick hit the back of his throat.
“Fuck Noah! Fuck!” Adrian leaned forward, pushing his cock all the way to the base in Noah’s throat so he could play with his hole. “God, I need to get in there.” He kept rutting, inching his cock back and forth in Noah’s mouth, his lips wrapping around like silk.
“Ghrah.” Noah groaned something incoherently while Adrian played with his hole. He arched, giving Adrian his hole.
“Fuck I’m ready to fuck you.” Adrian stepped back, withdrawing his pipe from Noah.
“Huh!” Noah gasped for breath as he laid on his back. He pulled his knees up to his chest, exposing his throbbing pussy. “Fuck me.” Noah said simply, grinning.
“Yes sir.” Adrian saluted, crawling onto the bed. His cock bouncing, seeking its’ landing zone. He leaned down and kissed Noah sweet and fierce, pushing his head against the entrance. There was little resistance. Noah was always ready for Adrians cock. They fucked nearly every night and nearly every morning before they left for their shifts.
Adrian was a security officer for Zone 4, the area responsible for providing power to the colony. While Noah was a teacher. He taught earths’ histories to the children of the colony. He followed in his fathers footsteps, becoming an expert in Earth History by the age of 17.
Adrian continued the kiss as he pushed into Noah. They both moaned and arched into each other as Adrians cock breached Noah, sinking all the way in smoothly.
“Oh god.” Noah’s toes curled as he wrapped them around Adrians waist and gripped his back and shoulders.
“Fuck!” Adrian shuddered, pushing deeper into Noah’s wet. “Fuck, you ready for me?” He asked.
Noah nodded, giving Adrian the permission to pound into him the way Adrian liked. Noah didn’t mind it, though he preferred when Adrian was sweet and sensual.
Adrian started to rut faster and harder, his hips colliding with Noah’s ass with a ferocity.
“OH FUCK!” Noah wailed in pleasure as Adrian continued his assault.
“Fuck, so tight. You’re gonna make me cum.” Adrian groaned as he lurched into him. He locked is arms under Noah and rolled them over, forcing Noah to stay impaled on his throb. He bucked up into him and Noah bounced, stabilizing himself on Adrians chest. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum soon.” Adrian tensed, feeling the heat of orgasm rise.
“Oh, fuck. Adrian!” Noah moaned, tightening his walls to pull the orgasm out, “Fuck! Cum in me!” He cried. “Shoot deep in me!” He clamped down and squeezed Adrians nipples the way he liked them to be and gyrated back and forth.
“Shit!” Adrian pulsed and spewed his cum deep in Noah’s anus. “Mother! Fuck!” He bucked up and squeezed Noah’s hips tight as his body went frigid feeling the orgasm take over. He groaned and his eyes rolled. “Fuck. So good.”
“I know.” Noah commented on his own tightness. He climbed off Adrian, his cock making a satisfying pop as it left him, and nuzzled next to his panting boyfriend. “Mm, I love you.” He kissed his cheek.
“You too.” Adrian kissed back. “I love you.” He said. “If that was my last fuck before I die, worth it.” Adrian whistled.
“Yeah.” Noah agreed.
“I want to make sure we’re the first people to fuck on earth in two hundred years too.” Adrian chuckled.
“Oh, right. After that pounding, I’ll need more than a few hours to recover.” Noah laughed back. “Besides, we’ll have far more pressing things to do and I doubt the rest of our team will appreciate us taking a break to fuck behind a tree, or rock or whatever.” He peeled himself away from Adrian and crawled off the bed.
“I think they’ll understand.” Adrian propped himself up on his elbows and adjusted his softening cock.
“And why is that?” Noah asked, bending over and collecting his clothes from the floor. He turned around and started dressing.
“Because we’ll be celebrating.” Adrian smiled and winked.
“Cute.” Noah started buttoning his shirt. “In that case we’ll have an orgy, we’ll all be celebrating.” He laughed, throwing his head back.
“The rest of the team won’t be celebrating an engagement.” Noah froze at Adrian’s words. “Check my pant pocket, left side,” Adrian instructed.
“What?” Noah asked, his voice tight with disbelief. There was no way Adrian was proposing like this. They’d been together for two years, and Noah had assumed this was coming—but here? Now?
“Left pocket,” Adrian repeated calmly. “Figured if we might die, we might as well do it as husbands.”
“There’d have to be a wedding first.” Noah picked up Adrian’s pants and tossed them back at him, deliberately avoiding the pocket.
“Tradition of the old world.” Adrian shrugged, unfazed. Few people still indulged in elaborate ceremonies these days. Most preferred a small gathering with friends and filing the necessary paperwork at the Central Spire, where the government offices were located.
“There’s still paperwork,” Noah reminded him. He didn’t particularly like how Adrian was going about this. It wasn’t romantic—though Adrian rarely was.
“I’ll have your mother handle it once we’ve left. She can pull strings,” Adrian offered easily. Then he stepped closer, producing a simple silver band from his pocket and holding it out. “So, what do you say? Marry me?”
“Uh—” Noah hesitated, his thoughts racing. He loved Adrian, and he could see a future with him. But this? This felt rushed, almost transactional. Still, Adrian was smiling, his eyes alight with hope. Noah didn’t want to hurt him. He did love him, after all.
“Yes,” Noah said softly. Then, more firmly, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Yes?” Adrian’s face lit up. “Yes!” He swept Noah off his feet, spinning him around and peppering his face with kisses. “I love you!” he exclaimed, repeating it over and over.
“I love you too,” Noah said, laughing breathlessly as Adrian set him down. He looked at the ring as he slid it onto his finger. “Looks good.”
“Yes, it does.” Adrian’s hands lingered on Noah’s waist before he gave him a playful squeeze. “Now, let’s finish getting ready. We’ve got work to do before the launch ceremony.”
Noah nodded, taking Adrian’s hand—his fiancé’s hand—and followed him out of their quarters.
They walked down the sterile halls of the Lunar Colony, gazing out the portholes at the distant blue marble. Earth—once a memory, now a possibility—hung in the void like a promise. The moon’s grey, barren surface, home to humanity for 200 years, had never felt more uninviting.
“The Cataclysm” had been more than a nuclear apocalypse. Climate change, pollution, political unrest, and societal collapse had forced humanity off-world. Early attempts at survival—orbital stations, luxury space liners—had only delayed the inevitable, benefiting the wealthy while the rest perished. Deep-space colonization proved impossible, so humanity enacted Plan B: Haven.
“People of Haven!” Maeve Bishop, Noah’s mother and the Director of the Lunar Colony, stood tall at the podium, her black suit sharp against the stark white of the command center. Her voice carried through the cavernous room, amplified by years of authority. “Today, we embark on a mission—a mission that could save our people!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
She turned to the side and gestured to Noah and the others who stood, lined up wearing space suits, ready to step into the shuttle and begin their descent.
Director Bishop turned back to the podium and continued, “Environmental and atmospheric specialist, Elias Greer.” Elias stepped forward with a small wave. “Officer Talia Reyes.” Talia bowed her head and smiled as people applauded her. She had been chosen not only for security purposes, but for survival ones as well. She had scored top of her class in Earth Survival. “Cora Hale, one of our best and brightest. She will pilot our team to earth.” Cora was a close friend of Noah’s and was also a hell of an engineer. She built a CO2 scrubber out of scrap metal just to see if she could.
“Morgan Blake,” Maeve continues as Morgan waved and beamed a bright smile back at the crowd. “they will serve as co-pilot and act as their chief technician.” Morgan tossed their messy hair and waved again. “Dr. Mira Patel will serve as the teams medic as well as being one of our leading radiation specialists.” Mira merely gave a tight, curt nod. She was nervous, but had a good poker face. “Lead security officer, Adrian Voss will join them along with Talia to ensure any lions, tigers, or bears leave them alone.” Maeve and the crowd laughed.
“And finally” - She smiled, her voice softening - “my son, Noah Bishop, will join them. His expertise in earths history will aid them in finding Fort Trident. An old military bunker that will have crucial supplies for our survival on the surface.”
The cheers surged as Noah stepped forward, his heart pounding. He wasn’t supposed to be on the team, but his persistence had worn down his mother. He’d begged for the chance to do more than survive—he wanted to live.
Maeve continued, her voice steady but urgent. “Generations ago, our ancestors dreamed of this day. Our scientists believe Earth’s radiation and pollution have subsided enough for survival. We’ve endured cosmic rays and low gravity. We’ve survived blight, infertility, and countless hardships. And now, we have a chance to return home.”
Noah turned to Cora and mouthed along to Maeve’s words as she explained technical details about radiation tolerance and electromagnetic shielding—details he didn’t entirely understand.
Haven wasn’t finished being built when the bombs fell, speeding up the apocalypse. Originally two separate bases, Titan and Hyperion, were being built. Capable of housing populations of approximately 5,000 each, they had to cannibalize ships, satellites, and space stations that had been in orbit to finish its’ construction. In total the Colony could house close to 7,000, but there hadn’t been that many people off world at the time. There were currently just under 2,000 people on the moon. There highest recorded population had been 4,536 people.
Time had not been kind to the colonists. Blight had hit the hydroponic farms. The human race wasn’t necessarily meant to live on the moons surface. The lack of a strong enough electromagnetic field had led to infertility, sterility, and an entire generation being born with birth defects due to the lowered gravity and increased radiation. But the human race did what it did best, managed to survive. The colony found a way to shield from the radiation better, fixed the agricultural problems. They found a way to install Gravity Enhancing Generators using mass density field manipulation – again science-y shit that Noah didn’t always understand – and they began to thrive. Well, survive. Endure
That’s what they’d been doing since June of 2243. Enduring.
But enduring wasn’t living.
“And now,” Maeve said, turning to the team, “once again, we thank these brave souls for volunteering. Your courage carries the hopes of us all.”
The council bowed; the crowd thundered with applause. Noah stepped forward, a mixture of nerves and excitement tightening his chest. He shared a glance with Talia before speaking into the microphone.
“Thank you for trusting us. We will set up camp and spend a week monitoring radiation levels and testing the soil and atmosphere. Dr. Greer will determine the safest location for settlement, and we’ll relay everything back to Haven. With luck, the Exodus Ark will bring you down within the month.”
Talia joined him, her calm authority grounding his nerves. “This is the first step,” she said, her voice steady, “toward rebuilding what we lost. Together.”
“Together!” The crowds cheers rose again, deafening and filled with hope. Noah looked out at the crowd, his heart swelling. For the first time in his life, survival didn’t feel like enough.
He was ready to live.
“I’m going to miss you.” Maeve squeezed Noah tightly, her embrace warm and firm.
“Mother, I can’t breathe,” Noah groaned, though his lips curled into a grin.
“Yes, you can. Shut up,” she quipped, squeezing him even harder. Their laughter filled the shuttle, momentarily easing the tension.
Finally, she let him go, brushing her hands down the front of his spacesuit as though smoothing away wrinkles. “Your father would be so proud,” she said, her voice softening.
“He’d be just as proud of you,” Noah replied, his tone matching hers. “You’ve led the colony with bravery and strength.”
She cupped his face, her thumb brushing his cheek. “He’ll be with you,” she said, her voice catching slightly. Noah nodded; their shared grief tempered by resolve.
But then her shoulders straightened, her posture shifting as she blinked away her tears. Business Mom had taken over. “All right, everyone, strap in. There’s something you weren’t briefed on.”
The mood in the shuttle grew serious as the team exchanged curious glances and buckled into their seats. Maeve’s hands clasped behind her back as she began pacing the narrow aisle.
“Earlier this year, we sent three probes to the greenest areas we could locate on the planet’s surface, assuming they might be the most habitable,” she began.
“Probes?” Elias asked, frowning slightly. “I didn’t know we had any. I would’ve loved to have some to do some initial scans and research with.”
“Yes, well we kind of pieced them together from old scrap.” Maeve confirmed, nodding toward him. “Unfortunately, we lost contact with two of them almost immediately. The probes sent to the regions once known as Northern Africa and China were unable to transmit any data. The atmosphere’s interference was too intense.”
The team’s excitement dimmed slightly, but Maeve’s steady tone pulled them back in. “However,” she continued, “the third probe succeeded. It transmitted from a region in what was once the United States, near an old-world city called Pittsburgh. Transmitting just enough data for the council to agree to approve this mission.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over them. “Thankfully, Fort Trident was in one of the green zones. It is roughly 100 kilometers west of the city, and was a military installation and bunker built during a time of great civil unrest before The Cataclysm. According to our records, it was designed to store emergency supplies: MREs, seeds for crops, even animal embryos.”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “I, for one, can’t wait to taste this thing called a cheeseburger.”
The crew chuckled, though the weight of her words lingered.
Maeve glanced at her wrist communicator, the screen flickering with diagnostic readouts. "Now listen carefully. You’re heading into uncharted territory and I wish I could go with you, but I can’t. The probe’s data is incomplete, and interference makes further analysis impossible. We don’t know exactly what’s waiting for you down there.”
Her words hung heavy in the air, filling the silence that followed.
Noah broke it first. "But we’re sure about the supplies in Fort Trident, right? The seeds, the food?”
Maeve hesitated just a fraction of a second too long. “We’re confident,” she replied, her tone firm but not unshakable.
“And if we’re wrong?” Elias asked, his fingers drumming on his harness.
“Then you improvise,” Maeve said sharply, locking eyes with him. “This is humanity’s best shot, Elias. We don’t have the luxury of doubt.”
Cora swiveled her chair to face the group, one hand still resting on the controls. “So we land, we assess, and we survive. Got it? Because I’m not flying all the way to Earth just to turn back empty-handed.”
The tension broke slightly as Morgan let out a low chuckle. “You do know there’s no ‘turning back,’ right? This isn’t a round trip. This shuttle,” They tapped an upper panel, “probably won’t survive leaving the atmosphere. It’s already patched together as it is. And hasn’t been tested yet. We might blow up on take-off.” The crew stared at Morgan with blank expressions.
“That’s not helping, Morgan,” Cora muttered, rolling her eyes.
Maeve’s sharp voice cut through their chatter. “Focus. The shuttle will take you as close to Fort Trident’s coordinates as possible, but we aren’t too sure of its’ exact location. You’ll need to make the final approach on foot and you’ll have to do some searching for the entrance to the bunker. The terrain will be unstable, possibly hostile. Stay together, stay alert, and follow protocol.”
Noah leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. “Sounds simple enough. Let’s just hope there aren’t, you know, monsters or anything.”
Cora smirked. “Oh, definitely monsters. Probably radiation-mutated bears. Or giant spiders. Take your pick.”
“Cora,” Maeve warned, though a faint smile played at her lips. “Now, remember, the hope of Havens’ future lies in your hands.”
Final goodbyes were said and Maeve exited the shuttle, closing the door behind her.
The hum of the engines grew louder as Morgan started the launch sequence. Lights flickered overhead, and a soft vibration coursed through the floor.
Maeve spoke over the radio now, “Now, we’ll probably lose communications the closer you get to the atmosphere. The shuttles radio is as powerful as we could make it, but even it will be no use against all of the radiation and interference in the atmosphere. Good luck to you all.”
“We’ve got the old Nexar Comms Tech, right?” Morgan asked through the comms.
“Yes. You’ll have to find a way to reestablish the communication link to the Space Dock in orbit.” The Director responded. The Space Dock was a leftover structure that remained in orbit. It had been stripped of almost everything that Haven had needed, except for a communications relay. It had been left behind for some reason and now the colony hoped it could be used to connect to the bunker on earth and then back to the colony. Normal radios wouldn’t be powerful enough to transmit through all of the radiation and other interference in the atmosphere. “Now, over and out. Safe travels.”
“Understood Director, over and out.” Cora clicked off the radio and hit another button.
“Thirty seconds to liftoff,” Morgan announced.
The shuttle jerked as the engines roared to life, lifting off of the platform. The hangar bay had been emptied and de-pressurized, the doors now opening to the vast emptiness of space. Cora urged the shuttle forward, pressing them all back into their seats. The craft rattled violently, the roar drowning out everything but the pounding of Noah’s heart.
“Everyone make sure their seatbelts are locked buckled, please do not roll down your windows and keep all appendages inside the vessel at all times.” Morgan laughed through the headsets; the crew joined them. “In the event that the shuttle cannot survive the vacuum of space and we are instantly vaporized, please don’t blame Cora or I, but the engineers who built the hunk of junk in the first place.”
“Morgan!” Talia chastised them.
The shuttle flew out of the bay and entered space. “So far, so good.” Cora said under her breath. She kicked up the thrusters and began its voyage to the planet, the planet loomed closer in the viewport, a swirling patchwork of green and brown scars etched across its surface.
Noah looked out and saw the Space Dock and some other debris still in orbit. Just floating there, dead. Hopefully, not for long.
“It’s so beautiful.” Mira commented. The crew joined her in agreement as the shuttle lurched closer and closer. The shuttle sped up, the planet growing in size as their home behind them shrunk. It took hours, even at the speed they were going to get to the planet, once they were just above the atmosphere the pilots locked them in a geosynchronous orbit as they began their calculations.
“Okay, we’re about to begin our descent.” Morgan announced. “It’ll take us about half an hour to get us down safely. Everyone ready?” Everyone answered in the affirmative.
“Brace yourselves then,” Cora said as she and Morgan angled the shuttle and plunged toward Earth.
Now…
“Fuck!” Morgan bellowed as they hit another invisible obstacle. An alarm started sounding. “Fuck! Fuck! Fucking fuck!” Morgan adjusted something.
“I know!” Cora responded.
“What happened!” Talia yelled over the alarm. “What’s the alarm for!”
“Nothing!” Cora screamed back. “We just damaged one of our rudders, nothing to worry about!” Cora assured over the scream of the shuttle. “Nothing at all.” She whispered to herself as she bounced in her seat.
“Shit!” Elias screamed as the shuttle shifted, everyone gritted their teeth as they were tossed sideways.
“Fuck! We’re going in too fast.” Morgan said.
“Too fast! We’re fucking sideways Blake! Fix it!” Adrian shouted.
“I’m trying!” They responded, turning their control stick wildly in the opposite direction. The shuttle pitched and the crew straightened out.
“Fuck! We’re about to touch down, it’s gonna be rough. Everyone hang on tight!”
Noah grabbed onto his straps and closed his eyes, hoping it would all be over soon.
“Son of a -”
It was.
“Noah, wake up.” Adrian shook Noah’s shoulder. “You, okay?”
“Yeah.” Noah groaned, rubbing the ache in his neck. “Just sore.” He unbuckled his harness, wincing slightly.
“Good, sore means alive.” Said Mira, stretching. “Now, everyone make my job easier and tell me you’re all fine.”
“I’m good,” someone replied.
“All clear here,” Another chimed.
“Even better.” Mira smiled, helping Elias out of his seat as the crew gathered in the aisle. She glanced at the shuttle door. “So... who’s going first?”
“Cora got us here safely,” Talia spoke. “She should go first.”
Cora shook her head with a grin, “Morgan helped.”
“Afraid to be the first one to keel over from radiation?” Morgan teased.
“Not afraid. Just, you know, cautious,” Cora replied, smirking.
“Noah,” Elias said, turning to him. “You’re team leader. The honor’s all yours.”
Noah smiled, stepping toward the hatch. “I’ll take that.”
With a deep breath, he hit the button. The hatch opened with a groaning hiss, and fresh air rushed in. Cool and clean, it filled his lungs, danced across his skin. He stepped onto the ramp, sunlight warming his face.
Adrian joined him, brushing his hand lightly against Noah’s. “What’s that old astronaut quote?” he asked softly.
Noah glanced back at him, a smile spreading across his face. Turning forward, he said, “One small step for man, one giant leap...for mankind.”
He stepped forward.
