The door to the transporter room slid open and the bulk of the Security Chief moved into the room. Dressed in the standard Away Team uniform and armed with a phaser and a tricorder at his hip, Mardusk nodded to the Marine. Closer inspection would reveal a very non-Star Fleet knife barely visible in the Orion’s left boot. Hearing the audio coming from the display, he said “Where is he this week? It was supposed to be Galthan IV, but there was a quarantine placed on the nature preserve.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mardusk, CoS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ashlynn was just behind Mardusk in coming into the transporter room. She was still trying to process what she had seen in the mind meld. She was focused on finding the creature that was being injured and try to help him. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : NE Berith, a charcoal-skinned-and-plated Nyxian officer, ran his hands over the transporter controls. “There is some atmospheric interference over much of the planet,” the transporter officer reported to the group, “the polls are mostly clear, we’ll be able to get you to and from the transport site if the interference patterns remain stable.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Gamemaster : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Phil entered the transporter room with about 20 seconds to spare. He look cool, calm and collected as he arrived with his large pack of medical supplies in their case strapped to his back and his rifle in hand. He noonded a greeting at the major, but did not speak so as not to interupt any conversations that were going on. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Phil : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Memphis nodded to Phil as he entered, then waved the Marines to take the Outer Ring. Each Kneeling down and facing a different Direction to provide a protective circle upon landing. Memphis himself took the direction oriented towards the Target area. “Staff Sargent, you stay with Doctor Summers, and Lieutenant Mardusk, you are playing keeper.” Meaning he was not relegating Phil to the back but entrusting him to be the entire second line of Marine Firepower as well as Medic at the moment. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Major Memphis Summervale : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Bailey and Ryley walked in then, the medic glanced around once then immediately went to stand by Summers. She looked determined. Ryley surveyed the group. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Before you lot go gallavanting around down there anyone here who is on the telepathic scale in any way should raise your hand.” He waited a second. “Come on now don’t be shy…” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : One NE raised a hand then stepped forward when the doctor beckoned. Ryley spun him and carefully fitted the inhibitor to the back of his neck amidst some small protests. Released the NE ran a hand over it confusedly but did nothing else. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Anyone else should be fitted with an inhibitor, those who are of the medical persuasion will need to take some with them. I’m sending some of the readings from the bridge to tricorders now.” He played with his own tricorder for a second and didn’t look up. “…and ensure anyone on the surface who seems to be being effected In the same way has one fitted.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ryley : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : M.D. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Phil took his back pack off and opened a compartment on the side in which he could put the inhibitors in. “Any particular reason for these?” he asked the doctor he asked as he examined the small device for clues as to exactly what it did (besides the obvious). : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Phil : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ashlynn looked at Ryley and then at Phil “There seems to be something on the surface that is psychic/telepathic.” She said “We have to ensure that it can’t turn our own people against us.” She said looking at the information on her tricorder. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ryley nodded. “What she said. Better safe than sorry.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Kelly entered the room and stood by Summers and a few others inside the ring. She might be the commander and would make command decisions on the ground but her men were all trained for their job. She would not interfere or pull ranks. She was there to make command decisions but not mission decisions. “Summervale, Mardusk,” she said nodding. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Captain Kelly Shultz : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mardusk nodded at the acknowledgement, and moved slightly to take up his post next to her. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mardusk, CoS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ashlynn looked at Ryley “Keep Ali safe.” She said quietly as she prepared to go to the surface and find whatever it was that was down there that she had seen and felt. She was nervous about this not knowing exactly what it was they were up against. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Bailey hurriedly took a place by Ash. Ryley for his part scowled at the idea of babysitting but nodded wordlessly at Summers. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt Bailey : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Nurse : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : The arrival of the Captain and her inserting herself into the protected formation, elicited a response from the Marine Commander. It was not a grin, it was not a grimace, it was a neutral facial expression, and a pop of his hereto unnoticed gum. With his offhand he reached back and adjusted the setting on the extra hand phaser that was settled sideways in the small of his back. His gaze shifted to Mardusk and wordlessly said, ‘your problem’ with and arched eyebrow before closing the visor on his helmet. Then Memphis dropped to a one knee firing position facing outward from the group ready to beam down to the surface. Uncertain whom was in charge as that had not been laid out, Memphis nodded at the Transpo chief to say they were ready. Anyone else could ride down after. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Major Memphis Summervale, MarCo : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mardusk nodded to the Marine CO in acknowledgement. He knew that many bristled at the thought of a Commanding Officer being present on away teams. He didn’t really care one way or the other, but knew that her presence did add another level of risk to the operation. He would direct his team, help out where he could. He would simply do that from the Captain’s side… regardless of what she said. As long as she was exposed, he was her shadow. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mardusk, CoS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Phil put the inhibiters into the side pouch of his pack, lifted it back into place and took his own spot on the Transporter pad, making one final check on his rifle. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Phil : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ashlynn waited for the beam to take them to their destination. She was nervous but she wanted to find out what she had seen in her meld. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Ensign, beam us down,” Kelly said to the transporter officer. She had no doubts about her crew. She did hae doubts about the Trenton’s and what they would find on the planet surface. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Captain Kelly Shultz : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : BUMP for GM : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Ashlynn looked at the Captain and took some comfort from her strength. She was hoping that this wasn’t a fools errand and that she wasn’t getting the crew in trouble. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : As they waited, Ashlynn felt that scratch at the back of her head and again saw the gray sides of whatever this thing was in. She felt a sense of panic, fear and anger. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Memphis raised an eyebrow inside his helmet that was unseen as they waited, and popped his gum impatiently. There must be something going on the surface that was causing an issue and a delay. Perhaps he should leave the Starfleet personnel behind and land a larger Marine force to secure the beam in site. It would not be imprudent after all to need to secure the site for the officers coming down. But that had not been the orders, and he was missing Man Vs Universe. Though he was tempted to put on his heads up display, it was not a good example for his men if they figured it out. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Major Memphis Summervale, MarCo : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Gravel watched the assembly, and could sense the growing unease. Whatever was happening on the planet had people worked up. He glanced at Summervale, shrugged, and gave him a “What the h*** is going on?” kind of look. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mardusk, CoS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Memphis shrugged, his face could not be seen, and he had no idea what the holdup was. Other than it was one. Maybe there was an issue with the Transporter systems. It was frazzling on the nerves though. Memphis was fine, but too long and his men might lose their edge. You can only be ready for so long before you started to slip. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Major Memphis Summervale, MarCo : : : : : : : : : : : : Phil could see the Fleet personnel getting edgey. If truth be known, now he was ready to go, he just wanted to get on with his job. He did not let this show. He simply waited for the transporter operator to iron out whatever gremlin in the system was causing the delay. : : : : : : : : : : : : -Phil : : : : : : : : : : Ashlynn sighed in frustration, and wondered if perhaps the other ship was somehow blocking their transport to the surface. Which made her even more suspicious due to the current situation. She moved from one foot to the other while she waited to get off the ship. : : : : : : : : : : Summers (med) : : : : : : : : OCC: “It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission” ~ Kate O’Neill’s life motto : : : : : : : : Heido Ho Neighboorino’s, Okay so Kevin has been super busy IRL so as your infamous leader and Captain extraordinaire I am going to make an executive decision and move this thing forward a bit. I am going to say that if Kevin needs to make some corrections please allow him to do so. I know a bit of the story and will try to progress it some. If he needs us to reset or change something to fit what he has planned for us I only ask that you roll with the punches and just have fun. Besides here I wear the blindingly sparkly shiny neck pips which means I will stand before those that say “wait your crew can’t do that” and nod politely if we get any slack. So get ready to post and have some fun. ~ Kate : : : : : : : : IC: “Is there a problem Ensign,” Kelly said in a firm voice. “It is the large button on the right. I assume you have some idea how to work that thing.” : : : : : : : : “Yes, ma’am it is just there was some electrical interference that I,” the NE transporter Ensign replied still looking at the controls. : : : : : : : : “Mister Drayke,” Kelly said. “Could you possibly drop everything you are doing at this second and get us to the planet surface,” she requested with a tone indicating that while her tone was polite there was only one answer she expected. : : : : : : : : Captain Kelly Shultz : : : : : “Oh my all means.” said Jacen, who felt like he remembered last being on the bridge, but all the same forced the transporter operator off the controls as he began to take over. “Give me a minute, I can get you narrowed in and down there Captain.” he said as he began hitting the commands. “If my calculations are correct we should be good to, just mind yourself down there ma’am, don’t get fried.” : : : : Drayke, CE : OCC: Fixing a split. ~ Kate : : “Oh sure. Piss off the guy about to scramble our atoms and reassemble them who knows where. Thanks, Skipper. If I wind up with Summervale’s eyeball on my forehead, I’m coming for you.” the giant growled. It was clear he was tired of waiting as well.... : : Mardusk, CoS : : “Well then we can change your nickname from the Hulk to Cyclops,” Kelly replied back not missing a beat as the world suddenly went hazy for a second as the transported to the planet. : : : : POP! The gum inside his mouth inside his helmet made a noise that could be heard through the helmet that was much as the Major’s patience was being tried. The helmet cracked just a bit as the major reached in removed the piece of gum from his mouth. It was now flavorless, and irritating him. His hand went into another pocket, without looking and pulled another piece out. This one smelled earthy, sweet, and of mint, it was dark of color, and seemed to be made of granules instead of one solid piece. It was tucked into a pouch like formation in his bottom lip, and the helmet was closed back down. Phil whom was the most acquainted with the Major and his habits, would know that it was not gum that he had just tucked into his lip. Which would dredge up the age old question, but where does he spit that stuff out, or does he swallow it? : : : : Major Memphis Summervale, MarCo : : Reaching the surface Kelly took a tentative breath. She always did when transporting to a planet for the first time. Looking around, Kelly took in the landscape. It contained the regular rocks, plants, and trees but also an iridescent glow. It seemed to cover everything like a fine dust, however, there were concentrated amounts of the stuff off to the right of the away team as if it were stones on a path. : : Captain Kelly Shultz Mere seconds after rematerializing on the surface, Ashlynn had her tricorder out and was scanning the area for this being that she seemed to have a connection with. She looked at the iridescent glow and began walking towards it with her tricorder out and using the sense that she had gotten from the meld to guide her if that were possible. Summers (med)