Posted by Gamemaster Wookius Furrius (Senior Gamemaster) in Main Sim - The Next Day - Cropland ..

Posted by Lieutenant Kiama Naim (Chief Science Officer) in Main Sim - The Next Day - Cropland ..

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Main Sim - The Next Day - Cropland ..
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Hey, I did no digging,” Faye said with a gleam, pointing her tricorder at the cave opening. “We need to check that’s there are no obvious dangers inside before we step in. We know the metal piece we brought back to the ship is very old, but we don’t know if it’s been here this whole time or cam much later.”

~Faye Calloway, Data Specialist

Pretha
CRIT Ldr
(Fixing team)

“Yes, no digging today,” Naim added, smiling widely as well. She was very excited to get a peak at the ship. Well, hopefully more than just a peak and it was a lucky coincidence (or maybe not so much a coincidence as intention) that there was a cave and that they didn’t have to dig through several metres of soil. Much faster that way, which she would have appreciated anyway. But under the current circumstances, it was even more important.

~Lt. Naim, CSO

Pretha sighed. No, they hadn’t dug, but she wasn’t sure that disappearing underground was the best idea. But then again… She shook her head and exhaled a deep breath. =^=Captain, there is a natural cave entrance down towards the ship. We are heading in to see if we can get a better hit on whether there is an energy signature or something we can shut off to release the Manhattan. I’ll check in soon as we find something. But it’s our only shot right now.=^=

She waited just long enough to see if there was a resounding order to not go in.

Pretha
CRIT Ldr

The ‘cave’ when they came to it was more like a thin slit in the side of the outcropping. It was wide enough for a person to slip through. Beyond that it opened up then dropped off. A scan would show that the drop off was rugged and, while not a sheer drop, did descend some 20 meters before leveling off. What they did get showed that it was scalable for anyone reasonably fit. The air beyond felt cool and damp, musty and no life signs showed up. The tricorder’s details faded at that point with interference rendering the details sketchy.

But what could be determined was that what they viewed to the base of the descent was that it was natural. Indications showed that there was a fair chance that what lay at the base was constructed.
- Wookiee

Great gods, yes! Faye thought as she surveyed the results. It had been ages since she had done any spelunking and to get to do some in order to solve their current mystery? Even better. It was a scientist’s dream!

=/\= Cochrane to Away Team. Investigate but maintain comms. Security is in charge until safety is established. Then it’s Lt. Naim’s show. =/\=

Cochrane, CO

=^=Copy that, Sir,=^= came Pretha’s reply. Glancing at NE Marks she shook her head. “Short straw, buddy. You get to stay up here and relay in case we can’t get comms to work outside from down there.” She sent a message to the transporter room to send down a couple ropes and climbing gear for three. “Myself, Chief and Calloway will go down first. The rest can follow if we think it’s needed and is safe. Agreed?” She glanced at the others to make sure everyone was on the same page. This was not a place for well I thought you said… when something went wrong.

She smiled at Naim. “Well, glad you’re on CRIT. You get to see a small sample of what it’s like. Each person being in charge of their area of expertise and leading during that particular stage.” She was glad Naim was down here. The woman had been picked for CRIT and, while they hadn’t gotten a chance to do any formal simulations, this was a good way to see the change of leadership in a mission happen as it unfolded.

Pretha
CRIT Ldr

It was just as well that Kiama took the lead here, since she suspected she was going to proceed slightly more cautiously than Faye might be inclined to, and they all needed to be on top of their game. “Do we want climbing gear?” Faye asked. It was the safer way to go about it, but based on the decline and topography she felt confident she could maneuver the rock face without supports. Just as well it was’t her decision.

~Faye Calloway

Kiama nodded and said, “Yes, climbing gear would be good. I’m sure we’d be able to make it down there without, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. And I’d prefer not having to tell the Captain that someone got injured or worse because we didn’t use the available safety gear.”

Once the gear had been beamed down and the three of them were all set and ready to go, Kiama led the way and was about to continue taking the lead on their descend, when she remembered the Captain’s orders. With a small sigh she waited and let Pretha take the lead instead. She understood why security was necessary and that not running blindly into a cave was the smart thing to do. But she was just very curious and thus rather impatient.

~Lt. Naim, CSO

The coolness of the cave mixed with the echoes of their footfalls presented an otherworldly sense, which was ironic as they ‘were’ on another world. Fleeting sparkles in the walls from their lights highlighted the dampness and a granular mix in the limestone like stone walls. Dripping could be heard but not seen. The only ‘life’ that was seen was a small lizard like creature about the size of a hand, smooth skinned with six legs darting out of the way of the light into a crack in the wall.

The climb down was manageable without the climbing gear; in fact it was hindered by the gear. The climb back up would perhaps welcome the gear, however. The rocky slope was steep but with plenty of hand and foot holds. While it was wet in places the climb was ambitious but not technical.

When they arrived at the bottom they found that there was a pool of cool water a couple of centimeters deep that drained off in the direction of an opening and disappeared in cracks in the ground. The area that they were in was several meters long and twice that wide; the sound of dripping and a chill was more evident. At the far side of the chamber a gash in the wall exposed a passage of worked stone. The passage was a rough triangle, wider at the base and arched at the tip; floor and walls were of the same stone - a black like basalt.
- Wookiee

=^= Lieutenant Pretha, can you provide a dynamic risk assessment for the away team and the situation on the ground please and send it to this station, Wyatt.=^= Dynamic risk assessments were something Luke encouraged, it allowed them to reduce risk and have measure put in place if any were needed to be taken, something he had looked into since the event with Faye a while ago.

• Lt Luke Wyatt, CoS