Posted by Gamemaster CockRoach (GM) in Main Sim - Alien Planet - Landing Party 2 In A Field
[snip]

As the group set out heading away from the village, they soon passed by several outlying farms. These were it seems small personal affairs not anything setup for commercial or industrial use by the nearby village. Eventually the softer wet ground gave way to more rocky firm hillsides. A few bird like chirps and cries were heard here and there though none were actually seen. Eventually following the directions they had been given earlier the team rounded up a steep rocky hill overlooking the personal farms below and came upon a clearing. It was roughly octagonal in a haphazard shape, and about 200 yards around give or take here and there. At the far ‘north’ end of the clearing was a steep rock face and opening to what seemed a moderately sized cave. In the centerish area of the clearing though was a smokey burnt area of ground. Even with the steady heavy drizzle of rain and the colder air around them, as they got within 50 feet they found it was still quite hot in temperature. The ground was pitted, and burned down to a depth of roughly 10 feet, the burn site was an almost perfect circular 20ft radius. A faint trail leading off or to this spot to the edge of the clearing to the ‘north-east’ side not far from the cave seemed to be its ending point. This meant either whatever caused this burn circle either came from that point, or something exploded here and then trailed back to the north-east spot.

GM CockRoach

Kovan studied the farms they passed, noting their size and the crops growing in the fields, pointedly ignoring the familiarity of it. Any reminders of that place he was born on were scorned. He welcomed the change to rocky hillsides, and attempted to catch sight of the birds fluttering and chirping above. They were too quick, or too hidden for Kovan to catch a solid look.

He stopped before the clearing and didn’t immediately draw his tricorder. Instead, Kovan swept his gaze across the clearing, the burnt site and the trail leading off towards the cave with an artist’s eye. Memorizing the lay of the area by negative and filled space and mental captures of various details. It took him all of several seconds to create a mental image that he can recreate upon paper. Later, when they were out of the rain.

“Shall we check out the cave?” Kovan said, looking to Nkosenye. He suspected XO Alden and Yarwood would want to start their examination with the burnt area.

Ensign ch’Sirhc, COMMO/ENGR

As the landing party stood there in the middle of the field deciding on what to do or where to head next whether the cave, the middle of the burned area, or back the way they came the insistent drizzle of rain began to come down harder upon them.

GM CockRoach

“I’d rather get a look at the burned area or the trail before the rain disturbs them. The cave can wait,” Roman said, glancing between Kovan, Nkosenye, and Yarwood. He thought the explosion must have been recent, for the area to still be heated like this. And in his mind, there would be no point in coming out this way if any information they might’ve found was washed away by rain. He was also interested in the trail, another piece of info that might be ruined by this drizzling rain.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Kovan shrugged, and pulled out his tricorder from the leather bag he carried. He began with basic scans and analysis, attempting to determine what kind of explosion took place here. Some kind of energy blast? Or some kind of violent impact, but wouldn’t there be evidence of that? And that wouldn’t explain the pitting of the earth. He eyed the burned area and the trail leading off (or leading to it?) Kovan was capable of mentally calculating the angle of the trail to the burned area. That could be used to possibly determine where whatever happened her came from, or where it went.

Ensign ch’Sirhc, COMMO/ENGR

Scans of the quite perfectly circled explosion site seemed to indicate it was no known, to them at least, explosive weapon. There was no sign of chemical residue say from gunpowder or emissions that would indicate say an energy weapon of known science. There was however, a strange residual radiation like emission picked up. It was quite low on the reading band, and non-lethal in any form but it was there nonetheless.

Going off the way the angle of the trail was to/from the burn sight Kovan probably could guess that whatever had exploded came to the explosion sight with such speed, and energy that it lightly seared the ground in its passing. Indeed if he moved away from the explosion sight to scan the trail residue he would pick up even fainter signs of the same radiation signature he had found at the explosion site.

OOC: I’m going to assume that based on what Alden said above he started to move around to look the area over…

Meanwhile as Kovan was doing this Alden’s movements about the clearing would eventually lead him to the point where that trail began, looking down he could see a couple of footprints in the damp earth. They seemed to have been trying to move quietly up to that point from the woods nearby. Based on the number he could theorize there were three people. One set of prints were quite large though for a human, the other were likely a humans though clearly someone practiced in movements of stealth. The third were quite small, perhaps a midget or child? It was hard to say, either way giving the disturbance near this set it seemed they wore some kind of robe or heavy cloak trailing after them. It also seemed the point of origin for the trail that lead to the explosion sight nearby in the middle of the clearing.

GM CockRoach

Radiation residue. . . interesting. And if the math in his head was right (which it was) then whatever made this hole in the ground came from elsewhere and at incredible speed. Kovan moved away from the explosion sight to follow the dwindling trail of residue with his tricorder. He was certain this was some kind of energy blast. As far as he could see there was no shrapnel or any kind of indication that something solid and tangible hit this area. But then where did it come from? And why did it hit here?

Kovan returned to the explosion sight and studied the radiation further. Understanding the radioactive residue left behind by their strange energy blast could help them uncover what could have caused this damage to begin with.

Ensign ch’Sirhc, COMMO/ENGR