Gaia 3

I. Anticipation

It was the first day of spring. The sun was shining brightly, the flowers were blooming, and a light breeze rustled the leaves of the trees. And yet, there was no one to enjoy it. That day, everyone was inside, glued to their television sets. Across the country, people were eagerly waiting to hear from the noted adventurer, Daviron Cailloux. 

Dr. Jaleah Navin, a noted astrophysicist, was supposed to be teaching a class at the local university that day. Instead, she had projected the live stream of Daviron Cailloux's press conference onto the board and was sitting with her students, waiting to hear the adventurer's announcement. She had every right to be excited; Daviron Cailloux's expeditions to planets like Othiea and Fillion Y1Q had provided her with invaluable data for her research and had made her an expert on foreign planets. She could only hope that he was about to announce his plans for another expedition that would provide new data to further her research. 

Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived. Daviron Cailloux stepped up to the podium and looked at the cameras. 

"Hello, everyone," he began confidently, "Thank you all so much joining me here today. As you know, I have recently returned from an expedition on Brion 40. As you already know, we discovered another civilization already inhabited the planet, and so we were forced to cut short the expedition. However, I have recently learned that the Union does plan on monitoring Brion 40 with the goal of eventually making contact. But I digress. The reason I called this press conference today was to announce my plan for a new expedition to Gaia 3." 
There were a few gasps, then the room burst into applause. Daviron waited for a moment for the crowd to calm down, before asking for questions. 

"Mr. Cailloux, the trip to Gaia 3 is estimated to take five weeks. That would make this your longest journey yet. Are you ready for an expedition that long?" one reporter asked, readying his pen. 

"My ships are all capable of making journeys three times as long as that, and within the next few weeks, I will be putting together the best possible crew. Any other questions?" 

"Who will be going with you on the expedition?" 

"Excellent question. So far, I have reached out to Aedard Lio and Liyan Tyze to act as pilots. Aedard is also an excellent navigator, and Liyan is a skilled engineer. I have also invited Dr. Kyndle Quartavir, our country's best doctor, and Union geologist Dr. Zax Parsa. My girlfriend, Dr. Karmyne Noir, and her student Carsin Xav will also be joining us." 

"Why bring a historian?" a reporter asked, "All reports suggest that Gaia 3 is uninhabited." 
"That is correct," Daviron acknowledged, "But there are legends of a previous expedition to Gaia 3 some five hundred years ago. I am bringing Karmyne and Carsin to determine the validity of those rumors."

"Who else?" 

"So far, that's it. I am, however, still looking for a lead scientist for this expedition. I think it is crucial to have someone on the crew with knowledge of foreign planets, and it is fundamental I find the right person for the job." 

Daviron answered a few more questions before leaving the podium. Once he did, Jaleah exited the live stream and turned to face her class. 

"Alright everyone, that's it for my lesson plan today. I really thought that would take longer." 

The class laughed for a second, then she continued. 
"You're free to leave and go enjoy the day, but if you have any questions, I still have twenty minutes to answer them." 

Unsurprisingly, most of the class stood up and left. However, before they could leave, someone raised their hand.
"Yes, Mr. Ollase?" 

"What was that legend Daviron Cailloux was talking about?"