Houseguests
Posted on Wed May 30th, 2012 @ 11:03pm by Captain Benjamin Byrne & Ensign Jack Lynch & Lieutenant Commander Martin Rackham [NPC] & Lieutenant Regana Madrat [NPC] & Lieutenant Lonnoc Keldan [NPC]
Mission:
Divisions
Location: Delta Flyer Vancouver
Timeline: MD06 1100hrs
As the Delta Flyer dropped out of warp, the green globe of the planet they had come to visit loomed in the viewscreen ahead of them.
"The surface is largely jungle-based," Keldan reported from the rear of the cockpit. "Various small mountain ranges; the oceans contain a significant amount of copper, which explains the lack of a blue tinge to them."
"Have you found a beam-down location yet?" Benjamin asked. He knew that the science officer had spent a lot of his time over the past two days studying the data that they had extracted from the station databases.
"Yes Captain. There appears to be a facility that the station constructors had been using on the Northern continent. It's amongst the rock formations within the jungle."
"Which jungle?" Madrat chuckled. "The whole damn planet looks like one giant forest."
The Takaran gave the security officer a simple look of mocking derision before continuing. "These are the coordinates."
"Ensign, put us into a geostationary orbit, and then prepare to beam down," Byrne reported, standing and retrieving a hand phaser and tricorder from the locker on the side of the bulkhead.
"Aye sir," Jack said as he lowered the shuttlecraft into a geostationary orbit, "Putting the Vancouver under autonomic control. She'll be waiting for us when we get back." He quickly looked around the craft. This was his first away mission as a Starfleet Officer and he was praying that this wouldn't be his last.
"Let's get going," the captain said, moving with the others towards the open space where they could arrange themselves into the standard beam-down formation.
Planet Surface
As the matter stream re materialised the group of five, the warm, humid air of the jungle around them was the first thing that the away team noticed. "Well, it's certainly warmer than the runabout," Benjamin quipped, as members of the away team took out their tricorders.
"Humid and hot, but nothing harmful." Rackham stated. Though I suppose you don't need me to tell you that." Rackham wiped his forehead. "I am picking up some form of electrical field. Probably the facility. Do you have a fix?" He called over his shoulder.
"The facility is in the rocks, over in that direction," Lonnoc reported, indicating with his tricorder to his right.
"Let's get going then," Madrat said; the only one with a phaser rifle (and with his weapon un-holstered) rather than a simple type-2, the security officer began wading his way through the forest vegetation in the direction that the science officer had indicated. It only took three minutes before he called back to them. "Found it!"
As Benjamin and the others joined him at the mouth to what may have once been a cave, the thick metal hatch was certainly an obvious sign that something lay within. "Anyone see a door bell?" he asked.
"Doesn't look very inviting does it sir," Jack responded, examining the door, "I have seen this kind of hatch though, and I may be able to open it. Let me take a look."
Jack approached the metal door and knelt down to the right of the hatch. He pulled open the panel and began to mess with the circuits behind the panel, with in a minute or two, the door opened. "Piece of cake sir," Jack said, "Friend of mine taught me that one."
As the officers entered the facility, it was clear that it wasn't an overly-large construction. At the end of a short corridor to their left appeared to be a medical facility of some sort; Benjamin could see through the glass of the door a few simple examination beds and pieces of equipment. At the end of the corridor ahead of them looked to be the main research centre - a room probably no larger than the Endeavour's bridge, past which looked to be another passage, likely leading to sleeping quarters and whatever power generator ran this place. There was lighting along the ceiling, but it was very dim, and the lights seemed to flicker on and off based on where they detected the away team, saving power in the unoccupied sections of the underground facility.
As the officers all passed through the threshold, another thicker door slid into place behind them, with a weak utterance from the surrounding speaker system, of which the universal translator was able to translate the word 'lockdown'.
"Byrne to Vancouver," Benjamin said, tapping his combadge. After no response, Madrat tried also, both men receiving no answer.
"Well, it looks like we're staying for a while," the captain said to the away team. "Let's see what we can find out about this place."
Captain Benjamin J. Byrne
Commanding Officer
Lt. Commander Martin Rackham (NPC)
Chief Medical Officer
Lieutenant Ragana Madrat (NPC)
Chief of Security
Lieutenant Lonnoc Keldan (NPC)
Chief Science Officer
Ensign Jack Lynch
Chief Flight Control Officer
Deep Space 19
