Posted by Mar. Captain Wulf Baumann (MACO CO) in Main Sim - Wolf 359 Planet 2 - Cave Scouting

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Kenzo Kurata (Amory Chief) in Main Sim - Wolf 359 Planet 2 - Cave Scouting

Posted by Commander Heather Grace (Executive Officer/Chief Science Officer) in Main Sim - Wolf 359 Planet 2 - Cave Scouting
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[snip]
The MACO-s comms activated and Baumann listened intently for a moment. He then said “Commander. Bravo has a visual on the contacts. Humanoid with primitive tool making capability and build seems to be structured for subterranean living. These cave and tunnel networks are their home. Recommend leaving the area and reassessing our approach.”

Baumann, MACO CO

El furrowed her brow. “I thought big cats lived here,” she replied. The echoes of her voice made it sound like there was another person present. She had moved along not too far from the Commander, splitting her attention between finding secure footing and glancing at her own scanner. She had to admit that the cave, similar to that of ones she had been in on Earth, were a comforting familiarity. With it came thoughts of her sister, Meiling, still in Manticore, another comforting familiarity though now literally light years distant. She had to remember to take photos along the way to show her. But would she ever get back to Earth?

Heather shook her head, her stubborn streak had set in. “We are this close to the source of our readings, I’m not turning back yet. Captain share what findings Bravo team has on the locals with Lieutenant Kurata. I want scanners set to maximum range, if we detect any signs of the local population on our way, call for an immediate stop. But until then, we keep moving forward.”

They came to a branch in the cavern. “Left, Commander,” she said, getting a further reading, stronger as they were getting closer but still not near enough to say just what kind of a find they may have made. “Reading is stronger here. Getting closer.” El was sure that the Commander had that in mind too with her own scanner but this was a cave. She was the junior technician who was technically supposed to be doing the scanning and the Commander leading and, hopefully, making sure they don’t fall into a big pit along the way.

El, Eng

Looking down at her own scanner again, Heather confirmed the readings with a nod and started down the left tunnel.

Kenzo touched glanced behind them at Baumann’s comment, changing his grip on his plasma pistol. Stopping to let everyone in front of him, he spoke, “I’ll keep an eye on the rear should someone come up behind us. Keep me updated, please.”

LtJg Kenzo Kurata, Chief Armory Officer

El’s ears caught the softly spoken words from the armory Lt. She didn’t know him but she caught the very familiar Asian accenting. All of this ‘military’ bearing and focus was disconcerting. She battled within herself; there was that pull toward anxiety of the unknown - which was here in spades!! - and the feeling of sufficiency and railing against feeling pandered by the others. Between all of that El sought the peace within. To be sure she relished this chance. There were few instances where she was so tested in her upbringing’s lessons. This was something to be embraced even if there was a part of her that did not mind the routine. And, on a starship, there was, El found, a great deal of routine. It harkened back to, again, her upbringing which was a very long day compared to now, but full of routine and ritual.

To break the seemingly inherent tension of this operation, El’s curiosity raised over the surface. “Has anyone been on other worlds before?” she asked. Even though she said it quietly it sounded louder in the confined space of the tunnel.
- El, Eng

With the course set the group soon emerged from their travel into a much lower though much smaller height area. The ceiling here was barely above 6ft above their heads, though it was quite wide nearly 80 yards by 40 yards almost from floor to ceiling were engrained deposits of dilthium and lithium ore! The quality was rough but acceptable, not quite Starfleet grade quality that they would want on their ships but for lower warp cores like those in use by Earth’s merchant fleets these would be more then sufficient. The ore was pretty deep down though it would require quite a bit of work to get a mining operation setup this deep and processors back up on the surface. They would also need to prospect for more deposits to make sure this wasnt just some tiny one off fluke.

Of course they should also probably get back to the surface with samples not to mention check in with the other team given they had found it seems local natives elsewhere on the planet.

GM CockRoach

Heather had to fight to hold back an exclamation of relief, fearing it would echo through the entire system, as the scanners started reporting the deposits of both dilthium and lithium ore. She pulled a sample container out of her bag and made her way over to one of the veins of dilthium and started collecting a sample for analysis back on the ship.

“Ensign, map the interior of this cavern. Lieutenant Kurata, anything on scanners? And was there any more information from Bravo Team or the Captain, Captain Baumann?”

Cmdr Grace - XO/CSO

“Yes, ma’am,” El said. Their lights didn’t take in the immenseness of the chamber, though it did illuminate the ceiling just a few feet above them. It felt different here. Were it not for the gravity - and a slightly greater one at that - she could almost feel she was floating, lost in the darkness of space, devoid of all boundaries. The walls of the tunnels gave a solidity to the senses and the feeling of the tons of stone over them. Here, as her light trailed off into the dark that solidity disappeared. Using her scanner she turned a slow 360 to get a sense of the ground topography of the cave before turning to the specifics of the minerals present. El began with the surface of the cave walls, ceiling and floor and then scanned to depth to get a sense of the veins and mineralization beyond the surface. To do this she moved away from the group toward one of the walls before making her way slowly around the cave. As the scanner did its thing, El moved her light over the walls and veins that ran along the surface like a geological web.

Baumann said “As was suggested, they are returning to the surface to rendezvous with us. And while you are plotting maps and colecting samples, Commander, you may want to contemplate why this place is shaped in this fashion.” and he quite directly glared at her. “Its been mined, ma’am. The indigenous life forms with primitive tools are active in the area. Again… we should go. Now.“

Kenzo grabber his scanner, opening it up and making scans on both near and far bands, trying to get a scan of the area to account for interference by the minerals. “Scanning now, Commander.”

LtJg Kenzo Kurata

Baumann, MACO CO

Mined? She heard that from the big MACO. El shifted the light to look at the walls and floor of the cave more closely. Was there evidence of picks and shovels or drilling or detonations? Debris on the floor? Discarded tools? Evidence of the means of removing what was taken? Looking back, the soldiers were wraith like at a distance - a profile here or a flash of a face there as their lights moved and played about.
- El, Eng