Nefelibata

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c r y o s l e e p (Noun.)
     a deep sleep where the body is preserved at a very cold temperature

The world spun around a young girl on the verge of tears. Her surroundings were masked by thick clouds that were the same color as the suns setting on the horizon. Had the child's mother not disappeared from her grasp, she would stop to admire the eerie glow. The bright array of yellows and oranges, which were her favorite color. Instead, her round doe eyes strained to make out a figure. Any figure at all.

Someone tapped her face several times, waking her from what she thought was going to be an endless slumber. When she first heard of this mode of preservation, she was told that the sleep would feel like it only lasted seconds. To Elain, though, she felt like she could run a mile with this pent up energy. This wasn't a second that flashed away. It was time that she was constantly able to feel her stiff muscles and it was a time that she was stuck with memory after memory. She wasn't happy with the experience, but mostly because she was lied to about it. Her honey colored eyes opened for the first time in six years to see one of the scientists checking her vitals on a window-like clipboard. Sometimes Elain would take the time to admire how far technology has really come. She tended to forget, since she was born into one of the poorer sides of the economy. Sadly, her eyesight was poor and she couldn't take in the true beauty of the station and its mechanical handiwork yet. They must have made it to the new planet that she is meant to study, otherwise she wouldn't have been up and out of her temporary coffin.

She was given her circular glasses again soon after the thought left her mind, which thankfully made the blurriness fade away. They had them sitting aside to collect dust, but her shirt wasn't the correct fabric to clean it without scratching the lenses. She would have to clean them once she got settled with the cloth that she had definitely put somewhere into her bags. Her straight black hair floated around her face, waiting for the rest of her body to be free from the straps that held her to the uncomfortable white bed. Of course the one thing Head Quarters decided to drop the budget on would be the beds they were stuck on for years. The scientist had been able to secure a position as lead biologist on the newly found planet, Miea, at the site 27-43. A place, that the few that discovered the site from above, named the Mushroom Forest.

Elain had her thoughts interrupted by the nurse as she instructed Elain to go to the waiting bay to be dropped to her location and that was where her luggage awaited her. The biologist followed the instructions perfectly. For the cryo-sleep, all riders were placed into a black long-sleeve along with cargo pants and some combat boots to match. Not like she was ever to fight anything on the planet, though. She was only there to observe and report back to Head Quarters. If it came down to aggressive natives, they were to preserve what they had and book it to keep from interfering more with the planet's natural ecosystem. The biologist did not openly agree with Head Quarter's rule, but she understood how detrimental it could be to add a new species to an already packed environment. She doubted that humanity's first time around on Meia would be with them sat at the top of the food chain. They would need to fight for that spot, like any other invasive species. She hoped that wasn't going to end up being the case.

Elain had just gotten to her belongings and took a seat before she was interrupted once more. "Dr. Mavka!" Her head swiveled to the strange boy who called her name. He must have only been around eighteen to twenty years of age, while she was late into her twenty-eighth year. The boy had curly brown hair that was a thick mess atop his head and blue eyes that reminded her of the planet Neptune from humanity's original solar system. "I am Milo Zephyr, it's nice to meet you! I was tasked with assisting you in your assessment of site 27-43." He seemed to be seeking approval from her as he stuck out his hand for her to shake. He must have just gotten out of schooling and this was his type of internship. She could just imagine the type of essay he would have to turn in to get the position. She could still remember the one she had to make when she actually applied for the job.