Ryn around the Rosie

Posted on 01 Nov 2017 @ 11:50am by Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Petty Officer 3rd Class John Hollenday & Commander Aren Ban & Lieutenant JG Gideon Nicols PhD & Lieutenant JG Olivia Matthews & Chief Petty Officer Crispin Snow & Calaban Bel Asher

4,748 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Akkiadia system - Ryn - encampment
Timeline: MD 43:1300

ON:

HG looked around at the landing spot and the boxes of equipment and supplies. It was going to be a mess for a bit but this was going to be home for a little bit. The air was warm enough, but the lighting subdued as the twin suns were far off and most of the light came from the reflection from the planet which dominated the sky. The air felt thick, which it had to be, in order to help keep the moon warm enough. A lot of the vegetation seemed to have an odd reddish cast to it. HG had not had time to do any analysis but she figured most likely given the lower light levels that many of the plants here had a fair amount of phycoerythrin in them. It would make sense.

"Well," said Petty Officer Snow, hefting a tool box, and looking remarkably unmoved by the alien beauty around them, "Those shelters aren't going to power themselves," he told HG. "I'm going to plumb the main living module first, then the bedroom unit, then I'll get onto the lab. If you have any special requests, say now."

"Thank you, stable enough to protect the equipment I suppose. We cannot afford to loose much. You need any help you go to Commander Ban, I really do not have the authority to order around Fleet personnel."

"Not a problem, Doctor. I can manage stable, and I'm sure Commander Ban will be happy to order me about, should it need doing."

HG figured they should do a bit of scouting to get a lay of the land and the creatures here. She needed to talk to said commander to get a party together.

She made her way past the crates and looked for the man finally spotting him a bit off to the side looking over the place. "Commander! A word if I may!"
she waved.

Aren turned and nodded to HG. "Of course." He motioning for her to start. "What can I do for you today?" He asked wandering what she could need of him.

"While the camp is getting established I would like to start some preliminary scouting of the area. While we made a pass over this moon, it indicated several larger non-sentient life forms and about six kilometers indications of artificial structures. So we need to get a few people that we can spare to see what we have."

Aren nodded. He crossed his arms and taping his bicep in thought for a moment as he quickly tried to recall the crew rosters. "Petty Officer Snow, Lieutenant Mathew's, and yourself should take a look at the structure complex. Myself and Dr. Nicols can investigate the life forms." Aren said after he had thought about it for a moment.

"Thank you commander," HG nodded. He was in overall charge and she wanted to make sure that if anything went sideways she had at least tried to play by the book. "I will let everyone know."

The first thing Gideon Nicols did the moment he stepped off the Danube-class vessel Shadow was stretch his six foot five-inch frame. He swung his duffel over his shoulder and immediately looked up into the darkened sky. His jaw went slack as he looked at the large planet, Akkadian 5, looming large over the moon called Ryn. At that moment, he felt small, it was the same feeling he had the first time he saw his own home planet from space. "Wow," he mumbled breathlessly.

"Yes, its numinous pulchritude is quite something, isn't it?" The Risan particle physicist, Calaban Bel Asher, stepped out behind him, casually dressed in shorts and flip-flops. "And we'll have plenty of time to examine it, and the rest of this incarnadine eden. If the rest of us can get past."

Gideon's brow furrowed and he looked sharply over his shoulder at the heavy set man. "If you can't get around me, that's more your issue than mine." He certainly didn't understand why that comment was made, considering he had stepped out from the Shadow and then stepped forward by several paces. He instead just rolled his eyes and stepped a few more paces away from the portly man.

Olivia followed the two men out of the ship. The felt bad for the extremely tall one; that ride could not have been comfortable. She looked around at the landscape around her. It was quite beautiful. She was trying not to get her hopes up too high, but she desperately hoped to find at least some ruins. They would likely be fascinating.

Hollenday had been sent down to the other Danube while the Shadow headed inward. He would be needed here to help Snow with any power hookups and whatever engineering had to be done. Figured that some shelter would be high on the agenda. Still he noted the pretty lieutenant looking around. Matthews he remembered from the brief introductions.

"Well....sure isn't the green grass of Georgia is it ma'am and I declare that it feels like that big ol' planet is about to fall right on top of you, at least to me."

Olivia startled slightly at the Southern accent; she had been lost in her thoughts but she turned to look at the man speaking to her. "No, definitely not," she said. "The planet is definitely a little closer than I've been used to," she continued. Truth be told, while beautiful, it made her feel a little uneasy. "What will be your job?" she asked.

"Me ma'am, I am just a lowly engineer type. Mostly just turn a nut and bolt and maybe fry up a bit of grits and bacon when the shelters are all done." John smiled.

Olivia returned his smile. "I'll look forward to that," she said.

tag all getting out of the Danube and onto Ryn.

HG made her way back and spotted Mathews, Snow and Nicols close enough together. "HEY! HEY!" she shouted sounding a bit funny in the thicker air of the place.

"GOT A JOB for three of you!" She puffed up to the group. The air might be thick but she the oxygen content was a bit less then what she was used to.

"WEW! This air is something else. Guess the lower light levels does not give as much oxygen from the plants. Anyway, Olivia, you get your wish. A structure of some sort is off that way and Commander Ban has given us permission to go take a look. Crispin you are to come along as well. Gideon you are to tag along with the commander and check out some of the local fauna."

Olivia visibly perked up and her eyes brightened. She could hardly contain her excitement but she tried. "Are we to leave now?" she asked.

"Might as well and let everyone else get the shelters set up." HG said. "Grab some weapons and recorders and off we go."

Gideon nodded. He certainly didn't mind spending time with the commander, and taking a look at the fauna and categorizing it certainly was something worth doing. "Sounds like a plan."

Snow looked up, already laying the first lines of cable from the portable generator they had beamed down. "Dragged off job already? Excellent." He put his cable down, and made sure all was made safe before swapping his cable laying tools for a tricorder, a multi-tool and a type 1 phaser. "Lead the way, doctor Wells."

John came on over, "That's alright, looks like you have things pretty well set up that a good ol' country boy can follow. I will get the rest going while you keep a watch on the eggheads."

Gideon found himself rolling his eyes. Who was this yokel anyway? He certainly wasn't very witty and even less funny.

Olivia grabbed the small kit she had brought with her and slung it over her shoulder. She shot a quizzical glance toward John. She didn't understand the term 'egghead'.

Aren finished up a series of logs and status reports before approaching Doctor Nicols. "Lieutenant, this should be an interesting affair. Do you require any particular equipment other than what is a standard field kit?" He asked, wanting to be as helpful as he could.

Gideon smiled. He obviously didn't know the commander that well, so this would help build a working relationship--at least that was his thought. "A field kit should be just fine for now, Commander. Thank you."

Aren nodded and grabbed the field kit and a type-I phaser. He passed one to the doctor. "While I don't anticipate needing one of these, I would rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it." HE said as he popped open the field kit to make sure it had everything. Water, rations, power packs, scanning equipment, and other standard Federation equipment. Nodding in satisfaction, he closed up the kit and slung it over his shoulder. He turned to the doctor. "Alright doctor, lets move."

Gideon hated phasers, but understood they were a necessary evil. He clipped the weapon into place and took one of the field kits, checked it over, and then slung it over his shoulder. Gideon gave a firm nod to the other man and said, "Aye sir."

--To the Animals--

Aren stepped out from the Runabout and checked the tri-corder readings to make sure that they were on the right path. So far the large creatures seemed to be moving faster than he had thought. They were looking for a the large aurochs like creature, and there were tracks, followed my life signs a little more than a kilometer away.

Aren closed up the tri-corder. "Looks like we have a couple of kilometers to hike, shouldn't be too bad." He said turning the doctor and nodded. "Lets be off."

"I could walk that in my sleep," Gideon said, a smile forming on his lips. What was a couple of kilometers for a man like him, a man who had a long stride. "Shall we sing a hiking song?" he mused, a chuckle following.

Aren smiled a small smile. "If we we were back on earth, and not looking to take scans and samples of various animals, I would most certainly, agree." He said as they stepped off and made there way towards the the tri-corder readings. "So Lieutenant, do you partake in any sports or hobbies?" Aren asked, trying to get the know the doctor.

Talking about singing a hiking song was clearly a way to break the ice... Gideon didn't really plan on singing a hiking song. That would be too embarrassing as it was. His own tricorder was out scanning and taking readings as they walked. "Sports mostly," he replied to the question that was put before him. Most of his hobbies were science related, or creative related... the creative aspect of his hobbies he didn't discuss. "A lot of different sports."

Aren nodded, as he stepped around a rock. "I see. That is a rather large and vague topic. Specifically what kind of sports?" He asked, wondering if he was skilled in the martial arts, those which involve gravity and the outdoors, or the kind that required putting an object across or in some sort of line.

Gideon huffed a bit of a chuckle as he stepped around a similar rock--or well, as similar as rocks could be. "When I mean all different, I literally mean all different," he replied. "A lot of the sports I'm into and play are earth sports, old and new, baseball, football both North American and European, rugby, volleyball, tennis, hockey, boxing, and the list goes on and on. However, I'll also try anything once, or twice, or add it to the ongoing list if I like it enough." He looked to the commander and offered a bit of a smile. "Are you into anything sports related? Or the outdoors? I have found that a lot of people could care less about athletics..." He thought back to his blind date and suppressed a shudder at the thought.

Aren smiled to himself. "Growing up I played a game called Stickball, which as it happens is similar to the Earthen game. But besides baseball, I never really played many Human sports. I actually spent more time learning and practicing Mok'bara. As far as the outdoors, I love backpacking. There are these amazing mountains on Trill, that have sights that you wouldn't believe." Aren said happily. "Though I guess, on earth, the Cascades Mountain Range north of San Francisco is the closest that I have come to the same sights as well as difficultly. Heck there is a trail that runs all the way from San Francisco all the way to Vancouver, called the Pacific Crest Trail, that is truly and amazing and fun adventure. I have never hiked the entire trail, but I have done pieces. " Aren said as he pushed through a series of brush before slowing for a moment and checking his Tri-corder. The handheld device pinged. "Seems that we are on the right track." He said cheerily, as they pressed on covering a half kilometer.

Gideon's own tricorder pinged as well and his gazed dropped down to the information screen. The air was thick and muggy and he hooked a finger into the collar of his uniform and pulled. His lungs were definitely working overtime, but it was all still very manageable. "I've been on that trail as well, I've never had enough time to hike the whole thing though. However, I probably should have taken advantage of all the time I had off since my new assignment got put on hold."

Aren nodded absently. "I can understand that. It is something that I have always wanted to do all in one shot, but never had the opportunity." He said as he maneuvered around a large rock formation before checking his bearings again. They were getting closer to the projected location, the tracks were pointing them in the right direction as well, but his Tri-corder was giving him some pause. "Lieutenant, I am detecting a couple of faint life sign readings, a little to the west. It isn't humanoid." He said gesturing in the direction of the readings. "Let's take a look."

This time it was Gideon who nodded. He had seen the reading as well, but what it was, it wasn't fully detectable. It was fairly large, about the size of a cattle and it had multiple legs but that was as much as he could detect from this distance. "Our tricorders seem to can't find a match to the database," he said. As they got closer, the scan became more detailed but no definite match could be found. He then looked up and saw it, still several meters away, but could make it out. "Looks like a cow or well something along those lines."

Aren moved slowly, not wanting to startle the creatures. Both he and Gideon were quite a few meters away, by the time they stopped advancing, and stooped closer to the ground. "You are right, they do look bovine in nature." He said as looked around to see what they were eating. There appeared to be a range type grass that they were eating, and it wasn't too far from there location. Pulling out his tricorder he scanned the grass. "Protein's, Dietary Fibre, Glucose residues....all withing normal ranges for a grass....hmm...interesting, this species of grass seems to have high levels of silica's." Aren said as be put down the tricorder and pulled out a tube to collect some samples.

Gideon had stayed quiet as he listened to the commander's assessment and kept an eye on his own readings. It was all pretty standard findings in grass but the silica did stand out. He logged the findings as wel, but since Commander Ban was already on top of the sample, he didn't worry about gathering that. "They must have some pretty tough stomachs," he said, "the silica must provide an enzyme they need." He looked back down at his tricorder, he readjusted the scan. "I'm showing quite a hide, my guess is the silica plays a role in that."

Aren nodded. "I wonder how much of the silica that these creatures retain, and how much of it gets excreted?" He asked absently, as he finished collecting his samples. He watched the creatures for a little while, doing his best to get good images for the database as well as scans. "Lieutenant, lets see if we can find a carcass or a sleeping one of these, and see if we can get some bio-tissue samples." He said, moving back slowly as to not startle the creatures.

Gideon knew exactly what that meant. "Sure thing, Commander," Gideon said as he began to move away from the commander. His tricorder was still out, scanning, which should have alerted him to the fact that he was about to step in a pile of dung. A great big pile to be precise. "Son of a..." He groaned and lifted his large foot to survey the damage. He scrunched his nose at the sight. "Well, these are uniform boots I'll never use again." He looked to Commander Ban and said, "Don't laugh. Do. Not. Laugh."

Aren watched as Gideon stepped into the dung pile. He had wanted to call out to warn him, but didn't want to startle the creatures. Aren moved closer to Gideon and tossed him a collection container. "Sometimes Rank has its privileges. Take a sample, preferably one with out shoe print." He said as he covered his nose, thankful for the reprieve as it also hid his grin.

Gideon's eyebrows drew together and he gave the commander a look as he caught the sample container easily. He said a few choice words... in his head, and then squatted down to collect the sample. The smell didn't bother him, at least not really, he was a scientist, he had seen, smelled, and dealt with far worse. However, he didn't care for the fact his uniform boot, and the cuff of his uniform trousers were covered. "Do you know how hard it is to get the replicator to give me a size 15 boot?" he mumbled, he finished the collection and sealed the container.

Aren watched the creatures as Gideon spoke and gathered up the sample. He noticed that the creatures were starting to get a little agitated. "Lieutenant, I will make sure you get a clean boot when we get back, but I need you to hurry. I think we are beginning to outstay our welcome." He said, as he noticed the creatures had started to form up into a sort of pack. It didn't appear to be like a typical heard mentality, and while Aren was gathering as much data as he could, he knew that they needed to get moving.

Gideon's brow furrowed but just nodded in agreement. The boot was a lost cause because he knew that the make up of the dung would never get out of his boot. He finished collecting the sample and stood up. He looked out yonder and knew they were going to be in for it if they stayed any longer. "Ready when you are, Commander."

Aren nodded absently and motioned for Nicols to follow. Very carefully they moved away from the animals, making slow and deliberate movements as to not frighten or startle the creatures any further than they already had. It took them a while to move far enough that Aren felt comfortable enough to have the two move at less sedate pace. "Good work today Lieutenant. Lets get these samples back to the runabout so we can start cataloging them and running some tests." He said rather happily as they two made the several kilometer trek back to the encampment.

--to the ruins--

HG checked the PaDD and the coordinates and started off. The ruins were near the ocean on this moon. A promontory from the map. She figured that was not unusual for a flight species to be near where it would be easy to take to wing. She hardly looked back to see if the rest were following along

The day if one could call it that wore on but sooner or later the moon would slip into the shadow of the its planet and it would be dark. She picked up the pace and spotted the ruins finally. They had passed and given wide berth to several herds of weird six legged shaggy beasts. Those had looked at them but had decided they were not a threat and gone back to feeding on the vegetation.

"Well there they are, more intact than I thought they would be." HG observed the somewhat spiraled tower though one could see parts that had fallen and the roof was definitely missing.

"Intact enough to climb?" Snow asked, more to himself than anyone else. He flipped out his tricorder. "I'm not picking up anything interesting that would say no. But i'm only doing internal stressors. What's the geology like? Are we going to get a tremor? Or subsidence if we add some weight to it?" he asked Olivia.

"Well," HG replied looking at her own tricorder data, "I figure from the looks it has been here awhile so probably safe enough to take a look...." she stopped mid way as a loud gutteral roar sounded behind and off to their right. On a rise stood a large cat like creature displaying a most dismaying mouth full of teeth and its eyes firmly fixed on them. "Uggg......think we best make for the structure before we become dinner."

"No arguments here." Snow started to jog towards the ruins, picking up speed as he went, backpack bouncing.

As Snow moved, the animal gave another throaty roar and with its odd six legs moving bounded down the slope. HG was no marksman but she fired a phaser at the animal which missed but at least it seemed to give the thing a bit of pause as it moved sideways.

The petty officer sprinted the last hundred meters up the hill and through himsef behind a chunk of stone for cover, then brought his own phaser out, and shot vaguely in its direction, hoping to scare it off.

The firing at the beast seemed to make it all more determined but it was smart enough to zig and zag or make bounds that made it difficult to hit. HG hustled on and got into the structure almost pushing the archaeologist as well.

"Snow best defend from here, more cover and hard to approach." HG turned in the doorway to attempt her own way to keep the thing occupied with dodging.

"Can't we just shoot it?" Snow called back. "It would be a lot easier. Not that I'm advocating animal cruelty, but its looking awfully hungry."

"Don't you think I am trying?" HG quipped back trying to anticipate the leaps and bounds to catch the critter with the phaser. It moved off toward the cliff side, snarled and then took a leap. HG aimed but before she got a shot off, great thick tentacles snapped over the cliff and neatly wrapped the creature before pulling it over.

"Bloody Heee.....cate! What was that?" HG hunkered down.

"A bigger fish?" Snow suggested, dialling up the setting on his phaser. "I just hope its an apex predator. I do not want to know what's capable of eating that."

Olivia approached HG's position cautiously. "I don't think I want to know what that was," she answered HG's rhetoric question. "If those things like dark, cool places though, there a probably more of them in the ruins. From the looks of the remaining structures, I'd wager there are lots of places to hide." She shuddered slightly at the thought.

"No I think that was an ocean predator, and mighty big one at that. Ruins are all still here so that Kraken like thing probably has left them alone. Still best be careful. Tell you what I will keep an eye and phaser ready if you want to take some recordings." HG nodded to Olivia.

"Are these Akkadian ruins?" Snow looked around, at the shapes of the ruins, trying to figure out the creatures that had made them. "What kind of death wish do you have to put your holiday home near something that can go fishing for you rather than the other way around?"

"I would not presume otherwise. As far as I know but perhaps our resident archaeologist will enlighten us. As far as our bandersnatch friend," HG labeled the thing. "Perhaps it was not so large then? Or perhaps they had some way to control them or who knows."

"They look to be in the Akkadian style and they're the right age," Olivia said. "Perhaps the creature moved in after? It doesn't seem likely they would have coexisted," she continued as she very cautiously peered over the rock to where the tentacles had appeared.

Snow joined her, staring down into the deep waters below. "I wouldn't want to co-exist with a killer calamari either. Shall we go explore somewhere less accessible to Krakens?"

HG nodded, "Take a few pictures and then head out as far as we can before this moon is in planet shadow." She did not relish being out after dark but then after that little incident it seemed safer then staying here for much longer.

Snow couldn't help glancing to the sky. "We've seen what comes out in the daylight. I'd hate to see what comes out at night."

"Agreed, doctor best we hustle on." HG said.

Olivia gestured toward their right. "According to my longer range scanner, that area over there might be promising," she said. It helped that it was in the opposite direction of the tentacled thing.

"Then I see no reason to delay," Snow moved away from the precipice, with its hungry kraken somewhere in the depths at its bottom. "Lead the way, ma'am."

HG moved off and they headed the direction trying to stay in the light but well away from the ocean. She looked behind her periodically and as the shadow of the planet cloaked the structure a series of dark shapes emerged and took to the sky. She took a reading. "Well our flying friends there are not small either. At least ten kilos with a 6 meter wing span."

If the light had been better, the others would have seen Olivia pale slightly. She shook her head mostly to herself. A giant tentacled thing and now giant flying animals as well. "This planet certainly doesn't do anything small," she muttered.

It took a bit more time then she would have liked but HG and the group got back just a little bit after planet fall or whatever that meant when the moon passed into the planet's shadow. She headed to grab a cup of tea, and then sit down and put together some bit of a report. She wondered how the commander had fared on his little expedition. As far as HG was concerned this place was very dangerous for just a small to medium post but that was for someone else to decide.

Bel ahser, one hand in his shorts pocket, the other holding his travel mug came over. "The local wildlife's a bit more...leviathan... than i was expecting. How long do we get to study them?"

"A few more weeks and hopefully the force fields will keep most at bay. I think that the Fleet got the bad end of the deal on this one."

Calaban gave an expansive shrug. "I wouldn't worry. You might not have noticed, but I generally find that the Federation is a bit like japanese knotweed. Once you get it in your arboretum nothing gets rid of it."

HG just laughed at the comment. It was a good observation and she had to agree. She also still thought that the Federation got a bit more than it had bargained for.

OFF:

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HG Wells
Civilian Scientist
NPC Allyndra illm Warraquim

Calaban Bel Asher
Gentleman of SCIENCE!
NPC Derani

PO2 Crispin Snow
Operations officer
NPC Derani

Lieutenant JG Olivia Matthews
Anthropologist/Archeologist

Lieutenant JG Gideon Nicols
Chief Research Officer/Geophysicist

Cmdr Aren Ban
Executive Officer

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