Birthplace: Venus

Prologue

The sun's rays blazed through the cockpit windscreen, landing unforgivingly on the pilot's sweating, concentrated face. But as the gigantic ship lowered through layers of Golden Clouds, the planet beneath them was the ever more concerning source of heat. The pilot slowed the  small-city sized ship's decent, tugging on joysticks, flipping switches and twisting dials without consciously remembering what each one did, just letting his years of experience and training take control. Just as the speed dropped to a near halt, he pulled back on the primary joystick, letting the airship level, and progressively rise up though the atmosphere, like a bubble in water. It slowly floated upwards until it met an equilibrium of forces. The altimeter on the cockpit panel in front of him glowed green, this was the habitable zone, the place where air floats.

Somewhere above the crushing, corrosive and searing Venusian surface, there is a slice of its atmosphere much like the Earth's surface. Despite the lack of a ground at the dizzying height of 50 kilometers up, and corrosive chemicals floating freely in the air, this layer of atmosphere was quite homey. The radiation levels and air pressure are similar to that of sea level on Earth, and the temperature was a fairly hot 75 degrees celsius; Easily dealt with, using technology of the mid 21st century. The immense density of the lower levels of Venus' atmosphere meant that ordinary Earth air was buoyant, conveniently meeting its equilibrium at this desired habitable altitude, keeping even heavy structures steady in Venus' habitable part of its atmosphere. This was perfect. Humanity's next step. A home away from home.

As the bright green altimeter light shone through the pilots visor, refracting through multiple beads of sweat and condensation, he let his breath bellow out from his overworked lungs, the fog further distorting his vision. The successful phantom "landing" among the clouds was no time for proper breathing, only the best piloting that the solar system has ever seen. While being joyfully pushed and shoved in his seat by his crew, his friends, that were crowding and bouncing around him in ecstacy, muffled through the foam and kevlar of his helmet he heard their cheers. He undid his restraints tethering him to his seat and took his helmet off, feeling the intense heat on his bare skin for the first time. He took a deep breath of warm air and let out the most raw and euphoric cheer of glory, feeling his crew tug on his arms and cheer with him. Turning to all his shipmates, he drank in the moment, one of the first of its kind on Venus. But victory had to wait, a new human civilisation was yet to be conceived of among the clouds of this alien planet. He waited until the cheers grew silent, sensing that the crew had experienced the same thought. He began to confirm each crew member of their specific role in the gargantuan task that laid ahead, but each knew well what they were required to do. He turned to the sprawling panel of displays and controls below the front windscreen of the cockpit, commencing multiple post-landing sequences and beginning the processes that take the first steps to converting the ship to the habitat that the 150 people with him were to live in for the rest of their lives.

With each vital process out of the way, He reached for an orange lit button labelled Ship Intercom and pushed it down; it was time to speak to the people. He began in his baritone and notably smoky voice, the words he'd been practicing constantly in his head: "Passengers of the Venera 2050, this is your captain Idris Knight. The landing sequence has been successfully and safely completed. You may now move around the ship and begin taking the first steps to build your life among the clouds of Venus." He paused to clear his throat. "Each of you have been assigned an important job that will ensure that everyone in this ship will survive and thrive. Now is the time to fulfil your role and further the development of this colony. We are the first of many settlements that will call this currently alien planet home, so lets make sure we have a great start to show how capable both Venus and we are of sustaining this colony." He began to hear loud voices and lots of movement below him in the fuselage of the ship. It was coming alive. Years of developing the ship, the mission, training people and tirelessly evaluating Venus itself had all come to fruition in that very moment. Earthlings were living on Venus for the first time ever. Humanity had forever changed.