Krista met her team on the day of departure.  Another Class 8 world, another journey into the unknown, another chance to fill her mind with endless possibility, only to have it met with disappointment.

She was a Reacher, equipped with the standard red hair and green eyes common to anyone from or descended from her homeworld.  Their race was known throughout the universe as one of the most inquisitive of the Class 8 citizens and Krista's own insatiable hunger for exploration was a perfect reflection of that opinion.

Almost in direct opposition to everything about her, the man they appointed as Judge for her assignment was tall, dark and forbidding, descended from a race of Class 8 citizens that held a rather fatalistic view of life.  It would be to this man to pronounce the fate of Earth based on her research and observations and, though she'd never worked with him, his personal reputation was one of excellent judgement.

The Solara were, of course, the only Class 1 citizen participating in the endeavor and wouldn't be of much use in the actual fact-finding aspect of their work, but were required for their ability to communicate with other Solara, including the one in Earth's own star system.  She liked the Solara.  They didn't speak much, had forgotten more about the universe than the rest of the Council had ever learned, and had a very dry sense of humor.  That last, she thought, was an odd trait for a literal star, but it was the one she liked best.

Of the five people assigned to the Inquest, the only one she'd worked with previously was Bolstrom, a Class 3 citizen.  Where Class 8's were all bipedal variants of universal life, Class 3 were quadrapedal.  Subdivisions in the classes would narrow any group down into a specific branch, but Bolstrom's race was the only known version of a Class 3 that could literally vaporize itself and exist in a cloud state.  They were, even after several million years in the Council of Worlds, a curiosity for scientists everywhere.  Krista appreciated the opportunity to learn about Bolstrom's people's unusual ability, but she liked him for his personality.  He was shy and adorable with large expressive eyes that always held a hint of mischief.

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The final member of the crew would be the ship, itself.  Silicate life was rare in the universe, but they were just as much part of the Council of Worlds as any other.  There was an odd symbiotic relationship between the Perronine and the Solara.  While she ate food that contained all of the protiens and amino acids and carbohydrates she needed to sustain herself, the Perronine saw the Solara as a food source and, oddly, the Solara seemed to benefit from the relationship though she never had the time to look into the details.  With more than a trillion member races in the Council of Worlds, focusing on a single detail of any one race would be a commitment of time and energy she rarely had time to spare.  She was an Investigator and she, instead, focused on new worlds.

"Hail to the Sun."  These words greeted her as she walked into the hangar bay.  The Perronine ship was docked in it's cradle and a blue line of light appeared at it's nose, traversed it's length to it's engine cowls and vanished, a common greeting of the race.  She smiled and turned to Bolstrum.  'Hail to the sun' was flattery from Bolstrum's people and referrenced her red hair as the color of their world's star as it rose over the horizon.  The young man had explained this to her on their first mission and to be greeted in such a poetic and personal manner had become a ritual that was dear to her.

"Hello, friend." She responded.  A 'friend' among Bolstrum's race was a rare and coveted thing.  They were all loners by natural design and to be considered a friend by anyone was the rarest of gifts in the universe.  The little creature scuttled left and right in delight, pointed claws tapping