Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim - Wolf 359 Planet 2 - Pod 2 Cave Exploration

Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in Main Sim - Wolf 359 Planet 2 - Pod 2 Cave Exploration

Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim - Wolf 359 Planet 2 - Pod 2 Cave Exploration
Posted by… suppressed (21) by the Post Ghost! 👻
[snip]

With the drone safely returned to their possession and without detection by the locals they were as good as ready to return to the surface base camp as they could be.

GM CockRoach

A sense of relief washed over Naomi. She wanted to get out of here, but tossing a fit solved nothing. A lesson she learned long ago. Once the group started to move, she would follow them.

-Lt. Naomi D. Locke, Sci

Once on the surface, Marceau contacted the other team with his communicator. [C] Commander Grace, this is Captain Renault. What have you found over there? [O]

~ Capt Renault

“Captain, we could place cameras so we could observe the people. Get an idea of who they are and their culture. See how best to approach them or not.” Helena wasn’t worried about their seemingly primitive weapons, but a person defending their home was dangerous. The people may be peaceful, but that didn’t mean the presence of aliens on their planet wouldn’t scare then and make them panic. No need to provoke them and scare them.

Laursen, pilot

OOC: Bump for the XO to reply and contact the other team etc

GM CockRoach

The MACO CO said “We do have surveillance transmitters, Captain. It would be no problem to set them up and transmit the signal to the base camp and ship.”

Baumann, MACO CO

“I like that idea.” Marceau nodded to the MACOs, “Go ahead and set them up while we talk to the other landing party.”

~ Capt Renault

“Aye, sir.” He looked at his Staff Sergeant and nodded, and in a few moments they had a half dozen palm-size cameras and began positioning them outside the entrance to the tunnels.

[O] Grace here Captain. We just made it back to basecamp with a couple of samples of ore. Not the purest, but still serviceable. We did find signs of what might have been a mining operation here previously, though definitely primitive. Scans from orbit didn’t pick up any native inhabitants, and we didn’t see anything on our scanners while we were down in the caves. But our scanning range was limited due to something in the cavern we found. I hope you had better luck then we did Captain. [C]

Cmdr. Grace - XO/CSO

Naomi was silent. Her eyes continued to observe their surroundings, paranoid the locals might’ve followed. So far there was no sign of them. She picked at her clothing as she listened to the team figure out their next plan.

-Lt. Naomi D. Locke, Sci

Baumann, MACO CO

[O] We have not had better luck over here. The caves we checked were inhabited, by a seemingly primitive people. We pulled out of the caves, not wanting to disturb them or cause conflict. How could the sensors have missed them? [C] Marceau said into the comm.

~ Capt Renault

Baumann walked over and handed the Captain a small hand-held device. “Monitor for the surveillance vids.”

Baumann, MACO CO

[O] Well it’s just speculation at this time Captain. But we did notice a dampening effect on our scanners while we were in the caves. The effective range was pretty dramatically reduced. This could definitely be impacting the ship’s sensors as well. Ground penetrating scans are only so effective, add in something diffracting the scanners, and then add in that we weren’t surveying for life signs. It’s quite possible that we didn’t even see any of the life sign readings, or the computer automatically categorized them as small animals, because the signature had been so greatly decreased. I would need to do a deeper analysis of the original scan data to be sure Captian. [C]

Cmdr Grace - XO/CSO

“Sounds like next time, we need to send down a scouting party or something.” Naomi commented, her voice lower and quiet.

Her nerves hadn’t eased even when they were currently safe. Fingers began to pick at her sleeve and her eyes continued to stare around the scenery. Deep down, she knew that wasn’t going to change things if the natives decided to approach. She hated this sense of helplessness gnawing at her.

-Lt. Naomi D. Locke, Sci

Locke sounded nervous to Helena. She understood the feeling, but they were the scouting party. That’s why command had sent them out here, to scout the planet and resources and determine if it was viable for a colony. She reached into the side pocket of her pack and walked over to Locke, “Want one?” Helena held out a pack of gum and little round donut shaped mints. “Sounds silly but it feels like something to do while we wait. Always helps me.”

That’s all they were doing right then, was waiting for Renault and Grace to decide what to do next. Until they knew the movement patterns of the natives there was no way to know where it would be safe to camp. Just because they housed in the caves didn’t mean they weren’t out and about, which seemed to be the case from the chimney ladder. Helena kept her eyes on the ground above the cave entrance. She’d be much happier back on the ship, watching the cameras from there until they knew more. That wasn’t her call though, and she never wanted it to be.

Laursen, pilot

“As good as that would be, I don’t think we’d gain much from a scouting party that we didn’t already gain ourselves.” Kenzo said, nodding.

LtJg Kenzo Kurata, Chief Armory Officer

The MACO officer nodded in agreement. “Tactically speaking, we should regroup and reassess our approach as a whole. The urrent operational plan based on our scan data did not include sentient lifeforms. And I do not relish the idea of having to engage to protect ourselves if our presence antagonizes them.”

Baumann, MACO CO

Appreciation washed over Naomi’s face as she took the offered items. Her hand unwrapped the gum first then popped it into her mouth, speaking between chews.

“I’m that obvious, uh? I was hoping this was going to go smooth and without issues. With all this talk about possible conflict, I’m getting more stressed. Last thing I want is to do is freeze up in the middle of a fight.”

She fought the urge to say something that wouldn’t benefit the situation. Thankfully, her focus on chewing helped and her form gradually settled down.

-Lt. Naomi D. Locke, Sci

“The main ones doing the fighting will be Captain Baumann’s team. I’ll be pushing everyone in whatever direction the fighting isn’t.” Kenzo replied, kindly yet also firmly.

LtJg Kenzo Kurata, Chief Armory Officer

Helena shrugged, “Not so much, I’ve just been doing this awhile. Hey,” Helena grinned, “Don’t worry about possible conflict. I know two things. 1, Cpt Renault will do his best to avoid it and make peaceful contact. 2, I’ve worked with Marines before. MACOs are trained to be a force multiplier. There are here in case things go wrong. Best thing to do is get behind them and let them do their job. Just like Lt Kurata said. Follow him and you’ll be totally safe.” Helena patted her shoulder. “But trust me, if it came to it, you won’t freeze. Your training will kick in.”

Laursen, pilot

Marceau looked back and nodded. “I have no intention of engaging in combat with the natives here. In fact, I’d like to avoid it if it all possible. But if it does happen, we will be well protected by the MACOs and Security team.” He thought a moment and then sighed and nodded. “I agree, let’s return to the ship and regroup.”

~ Capt Renault

“Aye Sir.” And Helen was moving. She looked at Locke, “I can help you get the sample cases loaded and secured. These guys can handle the tent. Leave no trace, ya know.” Helena grabbed a set of classes and carried them to the shuttle with her. She opened the hatch and moved inside to place the casses in the storage area beneath the bench. She stowed her pack and took a seat to begin her preflight sequence.

Laursen, pilot

[O] Grace to Renault. We have a probe down in the cave system that we just lost contact with. I’ve got a team headed back in to retrieve the probe, and we’ll keep our eyes open for any natives we may find on our way. Otherwise we are packing up camp, and I’m sending any non-essential personnel back up to the ship. [C]

Cmdr. Grace - XO/CSO

Naomi appreciated their efforts even they were less effective than actions. It was no fault of theirs, but rather a lesson learned from her youth. With a deep inhale, she forced her calm to stay on her form. Her head nodded as she weighed their statements. She continued to chew the gum while she spoke.

“Thank you,” She said with genuine gratitude,”We’ll still need to get the equipment. We should start with the stuff farthest from the shuttle and work back toward it. This way if we need to get out of here fast, we got nearby cover.”

The science officer walked to the equipment for soil research and lifted it up. Her eyes tried not to shift across the landscape as she carried it back to the shuttle. However, that didn’t stop her paranoia from raising her neck hairs on end.

-Lt. Naomi D. Locke, Sci

“Agreed. I’ll also keep an eye out for any problems. Hopefully there are none, but if there are, I’ll be here.” Kenzo said, casting a glance out behind them for potential threats.

LtJg Kenzo Kurata, Chief Armory Officer

“Let’s board the shuttle and head back to the ship to regroup,” said Marceau, finishing his call with Grace as he headed back to the death trap… No, it was just a shuttle.

~ Capt Renault

From the pilot’s seat, Laursen turned around. “The shuttle is powered up and ready Captain. As soon as everyone is onboard and everything is strapped in we can take off.”

Laursen, pilot

Marceau climbed into the shuttle, into his usual seat behind Laursen’s, and waved everybody else on board as he strapped himself in. “Load up the equipment, make sure we leave nothing behind.”

~ Capt Renault

The MACOs began loading equipment in as fast as they could and still maximize the efficiency of the space in the shuttle.

MACO