[ WP ] Humanity returns to earth after century 's of searching for life on other planets . The trip was unsuccessful .

`` Admiral,'' The secondary helmsman's voice echoed across the bridge. `` Port Authority's welcoming us through the checkpoint. ETA ten minutes to dock.'' 
 
 *Here we go. * 
 
 The mood on the ship had been tense since we had left the dry-dock. The INS Luminous had been sent out, as all ships had been, to discover other forms of life in the galaxy. The stage had been set and we had laid claim to the final frontier. During the mission, each rotation had been furiously competing against each other, hoping that their shift would be the ones to discover sentient life. 
 
 Six months of searching resulted in the number of potential planets left being narrowed from five-hundred to one-fifty. 
 
 Three months later, that number had dwindled down to thirteen. 
 
 The INS Luminous was the flagship of Admiral Jacques Collier, head of the Solar Fleet, and had been ordered by the Security Council to personally oversee the scan of the remaining planets to confirm that the scans had been done correctly and completely. 
 
 `` And we never found a fucking thing.'' I muttered. 
 
 `` Ensigns,'' I called out, looking down at the main bridge floor below his platform. `` Get us settled in, and then wait five minutes until the ship has settled to inform the Assembly of our *approach, * understood?'' 
 
 Both ensigns at the helm turned to offer me a salute before firing off the main engines. By that time, I had let go of the handrail, and began to walk down the hallways that would take me to my quarters. Conversation was necessary, as it seemed. 
 
 -- -- 
 
 The doors of my private quarters slid open with a hiss upon his approach, and locked behind me with a solid thunk. 
 `` Ripley,'' I called out, `` Connect to the Admiralty channel, and then divert a third of the ship's remaining power to Orange-level lockdown procedures.'' 
 
 `` As you wish, Admiral.'' The AI's masculine voice acknowledged my command and began the process. The only thing I noticed was that my title, which had normally filled me with a sense of pride, hung like a heavy rope around my neck. 
 
 The cool tones of one of the assistance AIs chirped, and I set my datapad down on the table before giving my full attention to the comms station, now displaying the holographic heads of the other five members of the Admiralty. 
 
 The five admirals waited with baited breath, and I took the small opportunity I had to compose myself. Thirty seconds passed, then a minute. Finally two minutes had passed and the tense silence was broken. 
 
 `` Well? Get on with it!'' Antonio Salinas' hispanic accent crackled along the interstellar connection. 
 
 `` We never found anything.'' The forms of everyone in the room deflated. Quite visibly, in fact. 
 
 `` Well,'' began Alexa Novikov. 
 `` We knew going into this that it was a really high possibility.'' finished Emilie Kirsch, glancing at the now frowning form of Fumio Torii. 
 
 `` What do you plan on doing, Admiral?'' Charles asked. 
 
 *Running. Leaving this entire system behind and heading to some backwater colony in Orion. * 
 
 `` I'm taking a shuttle down to New York, where I'll brief the members of the Security Council. Although by this point, it's probably snowballed into the General Assembly and everyone with a working television.'' 
 
 By now I was talking directly to Admiral Decker, although my eyes still roamed everyone else's face. 
 
 `` I just wanted to tell you all first, in case...'' I trailed off. 
 
 `` In case someone decides to start the First Galactic War while you're planet-side.'' I nodded back at Fumio. 
 
 `` Yeah. Consider it a fair warning.'' 
 
 Charles nodded back at me, before motioning that he was going to cut the connection to the group. 
 
 `` Good luck then, Admiral. We'll see you shortly, I imagine.'' I nodded in reply, and then ended the connection myself. 
 
 Ripley lowered the lockdown by one security level, and I exited my quarters, striding purposefully down to the hangar bay to catch my shuttle. 
 
 *I never actually got around to watching planet of the apes... * 

