Posted by Gamemaster Wookius Furrius (Senior Gamemaster) in Graven XII - Science

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Graven XII - Science

Posted by Gamemaster Wookius Furrius (Senior Gamemaster) in Graven XII - Science
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Faye shrugged. “You get used to it.” She didn’t mention the holodeck, since it was a technology they wouldn’t have or be allowed to use, so it didn’t seem fair. Besides, while other relied on it for their dose of ‘outdoor’, Faye rarely used the holodeck. It wasn’t so much a choice as more that she never really found many times when it was needed. Probably had a lot to do with not having friends most of her life though.

Knots curled up her nose at that. “Can’t stand my office. Every opportunity I get to get out in the field I’m there. My favorite place in the world is a grotto in the forest at dusk and take in those senses before I fall asleep.” She sighed with evident pleasure.

“Sounds lovely,” Faye said with a smile.

“But we get time off and sometimes that means we can visit a planet’s surface. We try to take advantage of that when we can. But a life in space is just that, a life in space. It’s not for the feint of heart,” she said softly. Meanwhile, as Faye was walking she was taking readings of the plants.

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Readings would show that the plants molecular structure had been altered and not in a good way. As well they were virtually dead. Initial tricorder scans would suggest a radioactive influence however the identity of that was ‘inconclusive’ in looking at the data.

“Hold up for a moment. I just want to grab some samples,” Faye said. She crouched and pulled out her sample collecting kit. She carefully pulled one of the plants out and tucked it in a air tight canister and then also grabbed some soil to run analyses on later.

While Faye and Knots moved away, Kiama took her surroundings in once more. Trying to take in everything she could see, hear and smell, while also reaching out with her other senses. Not that she was really expecting to sense anything, but it would feel negligent to her not to try. After all, while something was wrong with the plants, it didn’t look like the cause for it was natural. And even though she hadn’t seen anyone else in the area, it never hurt to use all your senses.

~Lt.j.g. Naim, aCSO

The smell was the greatest difference. Rather than a earthy scent mixed with the grain field like scent that she picked up from the ‘good’ side, the affected area was simply .. nothing. When there was anything it held a faint compost like smell. The wind rustling in the affected area was like a fall field of corn - leaves scraping against one another but scraping, not brushing.
- Wookiee

“When did you first state noticing the issues with the crops?” Calloway asked.

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

“Not this season but the season before. At planting time the crops came up like here. Then the discoloration began. This year when they planted again these came up but quickly did the same thing. What we had come up with was that the rains in the spring encouraged the growth and had diluted whatever it was in the soil to allow the growth. The trouble was that we simply didn’t detect anything in the soil.”
- Knots

Faye frowned slightly. “So the plants come up initially healthy but quickly deteriorate. Am I understanding that correctly?” There could be numerous reasons for it, but it also did give them a timeframe.

~Faye Calloway, Data Scientist

“In the spring rains, yes,” Knots said. “It was like the rains spurred on some growth as normal but then what was gained was lost. Now,” she said, “It could very well have something to do with fluctuating water tables, but nothing we have been able to detect would confirm this.”
- Knots

It was another piece of information but helpful it was remained to be seen. “What about surface water. Steams, rivers? Anything close by?” Calloway asked.

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist