AT - R01 Detailed Survey (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 26 Apr 2013 @ 4:07pm by Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant Dawn Meridian & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark & Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeroen Adlar & Petty Officer 2nd Class Jessica Sandywyne & Ensign Jessica Wilson M.D. & Lieutenant Lilou Zaren & Petty Officer 1st Class James Watt & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cyrus Kiwosk & Captain Jonathan Holliday

4,072 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: Rojar II R01 - Surface Continent
Timeline: MD 05 - 1330 hrs

Previously, on R01 Detailed Survey (Part 1)...

"Welcome to paradise ladies and gentlemen. Due to the indigenous wildlife on this planet, all team members will travel in pairs. Security officers are to maintain a perimeter patrol at all times and report directly to me. Science teams, you report to Lieutenant Panne but go nowhere without a security escort and my approval - any questions?"

"I don't think I like my travel package. " Kiwosk quipped, his voice rising with each intake of breathe. "I'm pretty sure chipmunks are suppose to stay on earth..."

"I get dibs on the XO." said Quinn. "Sorry Boss, but you are not getting out of my sights down here. This shit hole looks like something from a Buck Rogers holo-novel."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Maenad glanced around at the colourful scenery, which was terrifying in its own way. It wasn't at all beautiful. It could have been, but instead it was creepy. Nightmarish, even. It might have been because the captain had deliberately neglected her duty to inform the head of her away team about the danger that laid ahead. Why, she didn't know. But she wasn't happy about it. She saw Commander Holliday and went up to him to ask about the information her own captain had refused to give her.

"Commander, Captain Saalm would not tell me about what dangers to expect down here, or of the danger that your team has already encountered," she said. "Maybe you can?"

Gabriel couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. How many ways could the Captain say that there was a dangerous lifeform down here that might not take kindly to them poking about, and that the biosignature was in their tricorders so it didn't catch them by surprise, until Panne was satisfied? She'd already said it twice to her, three times to the rest of them. He turned sharply as he took a breath, his hands tightening on his rifle as he moved away from the group to go and set up that security perimeter as ordered, before he could lose his temper and get his arse kicked by Holliday for mouthing off at an officer. He did a quick scan before using his own senses to take in the area. Everything was clear for now.

Jeroen looked at Panne, taking a breath before moving close to her, so he could tell her quietly. "A creature was encountered on the planet. An animal. It attacked Lieutenant Stone and his dog and killed them. The biosignature is on our tricorders so we are scanning for it."

Cyrus let the gravity take it's toll on his weight. He felt slightly heavier, but gauged that he would be able to move with relative ease. It shouldn't take too much effort other than the initial movement. "It might be a good idea for everyone to get used to the gravity here. It's different enough to cause problems if we meet up with whatever kill the Lieutenant."

Lilou situated her regulator over her nose and mouth, eyes sharp on the surrounding foliage. She hated plants. Oh, confined to a well-regulated room they were fine, but here where they spilled everywhere and had no sense of place or order... And the sky so huge over head. And the others giggling at their pitched voices. Spirits. She shifted her phaser and thumbed the tracking data for the already encountered beasts into her tricorder, setting it to redundant scanning procedures.

Amynta watched the Chief Science Officer with a slight frown, clearly not impressed. She had showned up late, not taken any information in, seemed to be in a bit of a strop because the CO had been there to brief them on this dangerous beast. Annoyed with the whole situation and the the planet itself, Amynta moved to help Security with the perimeter. As she was an Intelligence Officer with no skills in science, she suspected she was here as a babysitter and considered part of the Security. Meaning she'd answer to to the Commander.

Watt shook his head as he watched everyone. They should not be milling about. Sending the away team leader down without full knowledge of what to expect was bad form, not to mention dangerous. He walked up to Lilou and offered her a smile and spoke in a low voice, wary of the helium. "This is what happens when they don't put engineers in charge of an operations, eh?" He gave her a slight nudge with his elbow. "Good thing there's two of us here with nothing else to do but watch the others."

"It is, indeed." Lilou glanced at him with a quick smile that was lost behind her breathing mask. "Just keep your eyes open and your hand on your phaser," her voice was pitched normally thanks to the regulated oxygen stream from the mask and air cleaning pack. She had no intention of inhaling strange gases or pollens on an alien moon. "You and I are getting back to the ship in one piece today."

"I'm known for getting though tight situations in one piece," he assured her, "We'll keep an eye on the others too." He cast his gaze in her direction and for a moment, his face turned serious, then he smile was back. "Do you get to go on away missions often?"

"I've done my fair share of work off-ship, if that's what you're asking," she said quietly, scanning their surroundings. "Doesn't mean I enjoy it."

"You... don't want to be here?" Watt asked, surprised.

"Now's not the time, Watt," she said quietly. "Let's just make sure what happened to Stone doesn't happen again to any of us. We can talk about my dislike for dirt when we're back in the Galileo's belly, if you want."

Liyar was unable to understand the hostility that radiated from the team at Maenad's expected displeasure of Lirha Saalm's disrespectful conduct. As a Vulcan, he operated with a high standard of respect protocol, which Lirha Saalm very clearly violated. Their minds squished and pulsated against his, the grind of conflict and simmering distaste like bile in his throat. Liyar moved backward toward Maenad, phaser withdrawn and held at the low-ready position. He suspected he was here as extra security, and he wouldn't leave the science team without cover.

Dawn tilted her head at the Chief Science Officer. She could feel the tone of the looks people were giving the woman, and she wasn't really sure why. Even if someone arrived later than others, it really wasn't an excuse not to tell them that the wildlife had sharp teeth and a penchant for murder. So that's Kiri's boss, she thought. She was quite tall. And she had Vulcan hair. Although, seeing her next to Liyar, she obviously wasn't one.

She pursed her lips. If she could keep being more counsellor than doctor, the mission would be very interesting.

Gabriel glanced back to the group with a slight frown, able to hear what was going on even as he surveyed the perimeter, getting twitchy, his fingers curling tighter around the rifle. Now that Jeroen had answered Panne's question, and told her again that there was a dangerous lifeform down on the planet, he hoped that Panne might move on from it and give them the briefing she'd told them she'd give them once they were down on the planet surface. It was preferable to standing around having a question and answer session, out in the middle of nowhere, smack bang where they were vulnerable to said dangerous lifeform that was being talked about. He licked his lips as he looked around with a frown, checking the readouts again to be sure they weren't already being stalked.

Lilou glanced towards Maenad, her brain finally filtering into the current state of affairs rather than actively scanning the alien trees and brush surrounding them for dangers. No lifeforms present. Likely all the noise they were making as a group had scared off even the smaller of... whatever it was lived here. Still - she'd have liked to get a move on. Do what they were here to do and get out. She didn't like being away from the Galileo. And she liked being on the moon's surface even less. Dirtside was so... messy.

"Like the captain said - the details aren't necessary. Suffice to say we aren't the only big species on this planet. Lieutenant Stone was attacked and killed by one of these animals....sustained phaser fire from most of my away team was about the only thing that put it down - hence the added security presence now. Does that answer it for you?"

John had no intention of going over the thoughts in his head again - could he have somehow saved Stone, could he have anticipated this problem, could he have made it safter for his team? All these things would more than likely come up during the official investigation into Stone's death, but for now he had to put them to the back of his mind.

Maenad felt a rush of adrenaline enter her system. She wanted to hit the commander as hard as she possibly could and then run as far away as should. Does that answer it for you? she repeated several times over. Like the captain said? How did he know what the captain said, she wondered. The captain said that she would be fully briefed by Holliday.

Maenad turned a ghostly white as she stared at him. She was more affronted than she was concerned about Stone. He was dead; there was nothing that could be done about that. She never liked him anyway. Her first thought was that with him gone, they would all be a little bit safer. She hoped that the stupid mutt of a dog, the one that nipped at people and made them all uncomfortable, were dead too. They were an intimidating pair, not a protective one. "Is everyone else all right?" she asked after a moment.

"The rest of the away team were unharmed and returned to the ship to re-arm and prepare for this expedition. Nothing further happened."

John replied with a sigh. It was hard enough having to live through those moments again in his head, and as much as he hated going over the same details repeatedly, the safety of this crew was paramount.

"The extra security we brought down with us should avoid any further...issues."

Jeroen moved away from Panne, frowning slightly. He glanced over at the others, taking a deeper breath. So nice to see his Chief completely ignoring his answer. Sort of put him in his place on the scope of things in here then. Pretty rude as far as he could see, without even acknowledging his reply. He took his scanner, moving to take the readings of the atmosphere.

Watt decided the tension was spreading too far through the entire away team. So he stepped forward and cleared his throat innocently. Leave it to officers to let their petty disputes get in the way of the mission. Those four years in the Academy seemed to make them all believe they should spend their time trying to look good for the brass. He glanced at Peers. Her unorthodox promotion was probably one reason he liked the chief. "Excuse me, sirs," he said, "but if there are dangers we should press on with the mission. The less time we spend down here the better."

Lilou nodded succinctly at Watt's side. Of course, it would have been easier for Maenad to assign teams and set up a survey system if she'd known something, anything more specific than what she'd gleaned from the vague explanations she'd received. Still. "What do you need from us, Lieutenant Panne? Point the way, and we're behind you a hundred and twenty, sir."

Quinn held tightly onto his phaser rifle, while scanning around the group, then nodded at Watt. The MCPO didn't like to be still, especially here, on this rock. "The Petty Officer is right. Commander?" he looked to Holliday. "Let's get this party started, sir."

Kiwosk stepped next to Quinn and nodded. "The sooner we get this going, the sooner we all will be happier. " The area was brightly lit, and didn't seem threatening at first glance, but the more Cyrus looked past the trees and underbrush, the more he felt that he was being watched.

"Agreed," Gabriel called over to them, nodding with a frown. "Standing around here together in one large group, in the middle of a large open space like this, especially with nearby cover for a possible predator, puts us at higher risk from the lifeform being discussed. I'd recommend we get moving and working, Sir," he added, clearly anxious from a security point of view, and knowing they still hadn't been given their team briefing by their team leader yet so they'd be standing around even longer yet.

"Chill out Gabriel, you can't shoot straight if you're antsy." Cyrus ordered and glanced back over to the treeline. He couldn't blame the PO, but if he wanted to stay alive and not end up like Stone, then Cyrus needed to make sure that the group was ready.

Get going? Maenad repeated once or twice in her head. They weren't going anywhere. Why everyone was interrupting her and the commander's conversation, she didn't know. This wasn't daycare, and they were all supposedly adults. She turned away from the commander, glanced at Quinn who was addressing him to get the party started, and then at Peers. Maenad adjusted the bag on her shoulder, which was getting heavier by the minute. "We have little to worry about," she told everyone. "The creature is far away and is being tracked. There aren't more around, and if one comes near us we'll know about it before it does."

Maenad took the bag off her shoulder now and put it on the ground. "We are only doing a survey." She smiled, "Miss Peers and Mister Quinn are team leaders. Liyar, Kiwosk, and Meridian are with me. Explore the surrounding area; document everything that you find. Try to disturb the wildlife and foliage as little as possible. Take samples of things you find particularly interesting. Report in every thirty minutes, sooner if you discover something potentially dangerous to our immediate safety." She licked her lips. "Make sure your phasers are on stun rather than kill," she reminded everyone, "And make sure that wherever you go you are with at least one other person. We will reconvene here in three hours."

Cyrus frowned at the mention of stun, but figured it made sense. They weren't here to kill things, just to document them...it certainly was a different feeling to be out on a science mission rather than a combat mission. Still, the former marine was taking no chances and simply nodded and kept his rifle in a relaxed setting. Maximum stun is still technically stun he thought.

Jeroen looked at Panne for a moment before sighing. So he was with one of the other two teams, if Liyar, Kiwosk and Meridian were with Panne. He looked over at Peers and Quinn for a moment before back at Panne. "So who would be on the other two teams, ma'am? Or is it going to be like football practice with Quinn and Peers picking who they want?" he asked politely, not wanting to risk pissing off the woman who had ignored him. That was, if she would grace him with the acknowledgment to this question.

Lilou pinned Adlar with a look. Frustration was one thing. Openly disrespecting your commanding officer was entirely another and Lilou had had enough of that. "I'll take Watt and the chatty one," she looked to Panne for confirmation. "And whoever else wants to move that way-" she chose a direction by pointing her finger. "We'll stray out, as you say, sir. Make a U when we hit the one and a half hour mark and meet you back here." She double checked her spare phaser to set it to stun as had been requested, hoisted her phaser rifle and attached her tricorder to it to scan ahead. "If you're coming with me, get your gear together and move out." She glanced at Mae again, with a softer tilt of her brows. "Maintain radio contact, sir?"

Maenad nodded to her. "Please," she said. She gave Peers an appreciative smile for handling Adlar, who had openly mocked her authority. Hating to be the disciplinarian, however, she was grateful that Peers had jumped in so quickly. It was nice to have somebody on the team who wasn't giving her such a hard time.

Amynta looked at Peers with surprise. "With all respect," she said, her voice still having the draw her accent naturally had. "If by 'the chatty one' you refer to the scientist...you are taking one engineer and one scientist with you, and if no one else volunteers to go 'that way', leaving on the other team the Chief of the Boat, myself who is, for the record, Intelligence, one security officer, one scientist, one doctor and the XO, if Commander Holliday is here to stay. Not to question the wisdom, but where is your security? And the ratio of people divided seems rather slim..." she looked over at Panne and arched an eyebrow. "I am just trying to make sure that everyone is spread in the best way, with experienced personnel in each team. I recommend you take someone like Mr Stark with you. He's Security, I take it he would do nicely and that way there is no doubt of the teams either."

Lilou looked steadily at the intelligence officer. Constructive feedback was good, but she wasn't in a state of mind to care at this point. She had phasers, Watt knew how to use his, and she'd grabbed a scientist - who, she assumed, had something he was supposed to do down here. As far as she could tell, the only reason she was on this rotten moon to begin with was for her phaser aim. She was security. And her snap-to had been more to initiate movement and self-starting in the others, rather than continuing to chatter on and on. If Maenad had faith they could all do their jobs without having their hands held, then they'd best get to it and not waste time making a nuisance of themselves. "As you say, Lieutenant," she agreed quietly. "Stark," she barked. "You're with me, too. I trust everyone can split themselves up according to their own common sense." Adlar, she wracked her brain. Geoengineer. There were land irregularities in the direction she'd chosen, according to her tricorder. "We'll be looking for what seems to be a cave system over here - couple clicks out. Should give you something to sink your teeth into," she added to Adlar, then tapped the headphone on her ear. "Sync up on channel six, yeah? And let's all stay close. I'd like to get back tonight with my limbs still attached." Without another word, she headed off in exactly the direction she'd said she would, glancing back to make sure her team was close at hand.

this isn't going well. Cyrus thought to himself. To everyone else he turned to Stark. "You might want to catch up with her."

Frankly, 'want' was not the word that came to mind for Gabriel, not after some of the things he'd seen on display during the afternoon. He lifted his eyebrows as he watched Cyrus in return, turning slightly. "I suppose I better had, seeing as I've got a rifle, rather than their type 2 hand helds," he said quietly, shaking his head with a sigh. His face and eyes said it all though. Shambles. He sighed again, heavier that time, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted his grip on the rifle and moved into a firm step. Although if anyone decided to bark at him again, he might whistle in return.

Liyar remained close to Maenad. "Understood," he gave her a single nod and flipped the setting of his phaser down to a maximum stun level, unconsciously mimicking Cyrus. He looked down at his tricorder and pointed at an array of trees and foliage in the opposite direction to the other team. Turning to Cyrus, Dawn and Maenad he said, "Perhaps we can begin that way."

The crew's tension was beginning to get to Dawn. If it meant they had to split up to make it stop, so be it. She hadn't realised so many crewmembers were on such bad terms. Maybe Stone's... death, she forced herself to think, had gotten to them a little bit. Then again, it had gotten to her, and she wasn't glaring daggers at anyone.

She flipped her phaser out of its holster and into her hand, making sure it was set to stun. Revenge wouldn't get them anywhere, anyway. If one of the creatures attacked them, they could learn more from it alive than dead. Understanding its physiology could help them prevent any more deaths. She held it at eye level for a moment, and, satisfied with its weight in her hand, slipped it back into its place at her hip. She could shoot if she had to.

"Lead on," Dawn said to Liyar, Kiwosk, and Panne. She knew two of them pretty well, but she didn't know much about Panne other than what she'd gathered from other people.. and that was never as accurate as learning firsthand. "Hopefully in the most interesting direction."

Liyar looked to Maenad for confirmation and then Cyrus, silently communicating with a jerk of his head to the security officer to take the position across from him, in front of Maenad and Dawn. "I doubt that we will be bored regardless of our direction," he said. He looked to his tricorder once, monitoring the farthest reaches of their scanning power for the biosignature then settled it back in its clip on his belt. Now free, he took his phaser in a two-handed grip as they walked forward into the brush.

Cyrus heaved a sigh and took the Vulcun's advice with a slight nod of his own. The rifle still head relaxed in his hands. The gravity was certainly a pain, but it was manageable.

"Good luck everyone," Maenad called to the assembling teams. "Be safe. Keep in contact at least once every thirty minutes, and meet back here in three hours." She didn't smile; feeling as did, she felt discouraged and even humiliated. She was the leader and yet she was undermined at every turn. Maybe she had less of a spine than she thought she had. Maybe these people needed straightening out by the crack of her whip, she thought.

As everyone began to fan out to explore, she looked at her group. She gave a sigh of a smile to them and couldn't help but hold Liyar's eyes for longer. "There's a lake about two kilometres from here," she said first looking at the Vulcan and then to the others. "It shouldn't take us long to get there." She looked up at the alien sky and added, "At least it's a beautiful day."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CMDR Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, VDF/SDD
USS Galileo

PO2 Gabriel Stark
Security
USS Galileo
(PNPC: Lt JG Scarlet Blake)

ENS Lilou Peers
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Dawn Meridian
Counsellor
USS Galileo

PO1 James "Striker" Watt
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo
played by Psylus Anon

CWO Cyrus Kiwosk
Security Officer, TRT Squad Leader
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Amynta Markos
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeroen Adlar
Geoengineer
USS Galileo
PNPC played by Aria Rice

Master Chief Petty Officer Markum Quinn
COB
USS Galileo

ENS Jessica Wilson M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

PO2 Jessica Sandywine
Head Nurse
USS Galileo
NPC'd by Kiri Cho

RSS Feed