[snip]

Glen didn’t wish to concern the other officers without any evidence, so he sidled up to William as he made his scan. “You have training in both Zoology and Geology?” It was a rhetorical question and Glen carried straight on without waiting for an answer. “These tunnels look natural to me, not artificially made with mining phasers or explosives. The old USS Enterprise, when James Kirk was its captain, they found something like this on Janus Six. It was called a Horta and it killed over fifty Pergium mining engineers before they discovered it was only protecting its eggs… It might also have something to do with those dots of lights moving within the rockface. They look like living things too? Like tiny insects! …Of course, these tunnels could always be volcanic in origin. Is there any current volcanic activity on this planet?”

“There were no indications of volcanic activity during my general scans, it would have come up” He said as he moved closer to the wall “Besides these don’t remind me of any Volcanic caves I’ve ever seen” The scientist looked at the bugs the Captain had indicated “I, of course, remember reading about the Horta, and it is possible that a similar life form evolved in a cavernous environment such as this. These bugs appear to be very nocturnal” He shone the light across several of them, admiring their reactions “Although there doesn’t appear to be any natural light It might be safe to assume that their reaction to light is a survival mechanic of sorts” He hypothesised “This cave is like if someone sanded down a preexisting tunnel, or as you said with the Horta, these could be the creations of some form of Corrosive acid life form. I think until we see any of the other life forms down here we can’t say. My immediate concern is” He said as he looked directly up… or well down he reckoned “Is that we appear to be on the wrong side of the floor.” He said rather calmly “This feels odd” He said as he supressed the urge to suddenly leap into the air.

“Yes, what is causing this?” replied Glen. “Some kind of anti-grav device? Nothing here is anything I expected to find. I have a bad feeling about this!”

Cross would be seen reading the scanning but in reality she was concentrating more on what the Captain was saying.Remembering reading about the tunnels Kirk had found during her yrs at the academy the doctor started to walk forward with the medical tricoder in hand ....would any other life forms show up?Maybe hidden out of sight?.

Scans by first Cross came in, the bugs in question were clearly made up of organic genetics, and as shown show biological properties making them sensitive to light. When they seemed to ‘pause’ her scans showed it was not a fear complex but actually an almost instant like ‘hibernation’ pattern! When the light was removed their systems that had shut down to almost unreadable levels sprang back up to normal almost as instant. Why they hibernated due to light couldn’t be theorized yet. The best guess she might make is that at some point there was something ‘bright’ or some other ‘light source’ in these pitch dark tunnels made them evolve this way.

She did come to that conclusion… that there was light once or maybe there still was Cross theorized,though for the time being the doctor said nothing.

A large black hand fell onto Cross’s shoulder, and a deep voice said flatly “You will stay within the security perimeter, Doctor. This is not a sight-seeing excursion.” Nkosenye took his hand off her shoulder and then said to his team “Execute perimeter security. Call out any contacts. And keep an eye on Dr. Cross. She likes to wander.” If the landing party didn’t know better, they might have actually thought that the surly and gruff Security Chief was making a joke.

Getting nods the trio of NE red shirts filed out in formation keeping within a 15 foot line of sight of everyone still at he near end of the tunnel they had beamed in, one by one calls out of “..No contacts..” came back, the forward most NE GmForgetsHisName said, “..Looks like the tunnel banks a bit to the right leading down another passage here, maybe it connects to that bigger cavern we picked up?” he said.

He removed his hand just in time ‘’I’m still here Lt ,taking a few steps is hardly called wandering not to mention I’m quiet capable of taking care of myself’’ she sneered back at him ‘’Now do please let me do my job without too much interference from you or anyone else ‘’ her tone was now so delicate as to be difficult to analyze or describe.

Jasper continued his scans quietly. Still trying to figure out the mystery of these caverns and their life forms. He did his best to stay with the group due to security concerns.

Jasper’s scans would confirm that the tunnel banked to the right about 20 or so feet ahead, his scans though cut out due to local interference about another 30ft after that. The rock around them was mostly made up of iron and nickel deposits, mixed with a dirt like organic crust. A thin layer of what seemed obsidian was also picked up about .003 inches layered above the surface possibly left by whatever had made it.

Cross walked over to Jasper ‘’Say did you pick anything up about these caverns?’’ she asked trying to resist the urge to scratch her head.

For Cross her added scans in passing of this micro layer would reveal not only the obsidian properties like Jasper picked up but that there was some kind of organic decay among it as well! However, so faint was it she could not get a real good read on it. Also picked up near their feet were tiny fungal patches which when light would settle on them and then moved on would leave them faintly glowing in the dark!

Her brain cells went into overdrive at what she found up until now,were the bugs going into hibernation because of the fungus?Their mode of survival? Cross thought about the fungus that turned ants into zombies making them climb a tree and position themselves at the edge of a twig,which at some point the fungus would sprout out of the now dead ant.

Tia flipped open her communicator. =^=This is Lieutenant Ezial… we need engineering and science to do some digging, so to speak. We’ve arrived upside-down. Need to make sure this isn’t temporary.=^= She took a couple steps forward and smiled. =^= Walking seems to be all right and jumping....=^= She moved towards a section of the wall where the ‘floor’ she was on was closest to the ‘ceiling’ above them. She bent her legs and smiled in almost feral glee as she leapt up as high as she could.

If she landed on her feet once more, she would report that was well also… if she didn’t… at least her arms were up to perhaps brace her fall a bit.

Tia’s jumping found her back on the ‘ceiling’ with ease. It would seem up here was formerly down and vice versa.

The doctor was horrified seeing Tia jumping ‘’Lt what the hell are you thinking!’’ she exclaimed ‘’This is not a bouncing castle you know and listen up everyone,first do not touch any bugs,second do not shine your torches on the fungal patches under your feet.....I repeat do not touch anything’’ Cross said in a dead serious tone.

She then took a sample of both a bug and fungus without touching any and secured them in specially designed containers.

Jasper was at a loss why he was here if the chief was here too. But he tried to continue his scans he even adjusted the tricorder to attempt to scan other things besides just engineering things.

Cross went again near the engineer ‘’With your tricoder could you scan for anything that isn’t organic in matter? Has it picked up anything that may give us an answer of why we are upside down?’’ she wondered if it was the planet or something/someone having nothing better to do then play tricks on them.

“Please follow the Security Chief’s advice for our safety,” added Glen. “There are some very curious things going on here with the light sensitive bugs and the upside down-ness. Until we can work out what this all means then I don’t like it at all. I’m not sure jumping is a good idea either. Maybe more passive investigations until we know exactly what we are dealing with.”

Glen contacted the ship, a few minutes after Tia. =/\= Kord. I don’t like what we have found down here, but I can’t put my finger on it to explain to you. It may be nothing. Please keep an active transporter lock on us. Glen. =/\=

Glen, CO