[snip]

Cross made her way to the transporter room as ordered,as always with the medical kit strapped on one shoulder and waiting for the others to arrive.

Jasper heard the call for him to report for landing party duty. He quickly grabbed a toolkit and tricorder and headed off to the transporter room. Jasper grabbed his communicator. “Aye sir! I am on my ways sir!”

Cross saw the engineer coming in and thought she had seen him before or not ‘’Hi there I’m the doctor,Cross’s the name’’ she said extending a hand ‘’I would assume you have been called for the landing party as well?’‘.

“Yes, Doctor Cross I was summoned for this landing party.” Ensign Jasper Ericson said with a small polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Cross.”

‘’Great a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding”Cross replied hoping for the best ‘’Any idea what the landing party is suppose to achieve?’’ she asked with a puzzled look on her face ‘’Do you have any idea what this black serpents look like....’’ this time muttering the last words as her brain triggered a gross imagination.

The doors opened and Nkosenye ducked through and into the room. He was kitted as was standard for security on landing parties, with the addition of a dark, almost black, wooden handle sticking up from behind his left shoulder. Accompanying him were four members of his security team.

Including NE Riggs (Sec) and NE Murtaugh (Sec)?

Nkosenye looked at the assembled officers and simply nodded.

A question popped up into Cross’s brain ‘’Say Lt are we going for war or what?’’ .She did have a legitimate reason for asking for the doctor was unarmed.

Glen and Grey would shortly arrive from the Bridge. With the arrival of Tiastri then the party would be assembled and ready to beam down.

A question popped up into Cross’s brain ‘’Say Lt are we going for war or what?’’ .She did have a legitimate reason for asking for the doctor was unarmed.

“This planet is a puzzle,” Glen announced. “Scans have located a small cavern roughly 100 yards by 250 yards around 1/2 mile beneath the surface, with two small underground rivers riding through it with plant and animal life. We a simply going to beam down, investigate and return. Lead and Gold deposits are creating interference for us to get a good read in the scans. I don’t anticipate any combat, and it may not have anything at all to do with the Dark Serpents, but we need to be prepared for all eventualities.”

Glen, CO