Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Nov 20, 2021 4:28:21 GMT
[Lt. JG Syl O'Connell - B-975 III - Middle of Nowhere]
Syl had been shocked when Vega relieved Eliska from duty. Although she hadn't seen what had happened, she couldn't picture the security officer doing anything bad enough to warrant that. But it certainly wasn't her place to argue with the Captain, and she didn't want to risk being the next one relieved, so she kept her mouth shut as they got underway once more. At least the Ferengi was mostly quiet. She wasn't sure how much more she could handle on this road trip from hell.
When they stopped for the night, Syl assisted in pitching the camp, ignoring Vega's comment about her driving them into a carnivorous cravass. After all, she was just following the other rover, so it would be Rol driving them into danger if it happened. Once everything was set up, she decided it would be best to sleep first and take the next watch. Driving all day certainly took its toll on her. As she crawled into her bedroll, Syl tried not to think about how bad the migraine would be if she hadn't gotten the neural implant already. Such a minor procedure had drastically improved her functionality, part of her was still mad at herself for not getting it done sooner.
As exhausted as she was, her body needed time to adjust to the new position. Spending the day sitting down, to laying stretched out, her joints ached as they shifted and stretched. Sleep wouldn't happen for a little while yet. So in the meantime she laid on her back, staring up at the vast array of stars, silently making up constellations amongst the different clusters.
[Lt. JG Cerjess Miren - B-975 III - Desert Camp]
Once the camp had been set up, Cerjess had his own job to keep himself occupied before turning in for the night. Sitting on his bedroll, he paired his tricorder with a PADD, and began to catalogue all the data gathered during the trip. It wasn't much, but it was definitely easier to do at the end of each day than try to catch up at the end of the mission. Remembering his earlier conversation with the Captain, he reviewed the information they'd been given from the Ferengi prior to departure, as well as the covert scans he had taken over the past several hours. Then comparing with his own scans of the irradiated atmosphere... If there was a way to communicate with the ships in orbit, he was determined to find it.
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Shavan Th'zhaar
Science
[TI35]
Posts: 800 Likes: 19
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Assistant Chief of Science
Species: Orion/Andorian
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Post by Shavan Th'zhaar on Nov 20, 2021 15:13:30 GMT
[Shavan Th’zhaar - Cliffside Camp]
Like before they had encountered the insect swarm, Shavan stayed mostly silent but attentive to his part in this during the long ride. As the distance passed, the ion trail grew stronger again. He continued to track their course as well as keeping an eye on the Ferengi as directed. The latter effort had not yet yielded definitive results… but at least they were nearing their destination.
After they had set up camp, he joined S’Riia as the other half of the first watch, taking up a lookout position on the opposite side of the camp. His scope and senses were trained on the desert stretching out before them, though as yet everything was dark and quiet.
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Nov 21, 2021 0:36:49 GMT
[Officer Gabar - Rover 2 > Cliffside Camp]Initially Gabar had begun to make a fuss, appalled as he was at being expected to share such a small space with the violent Bremmer. But that horror turned quickly to a little sneer as Vega relieved her of duty. He stared at her, a pleased smile curving his lips. She deserved it. For trying to kill him, and then failing. He repositioned himself in attempt to get comfortable as the Rover took off once more. The ride was not smooth, but Rol had healed enough of his broken rib to make the movement manageable. By the time they'd made camp, he was exhausted. He could barely keep his eyelids open, yet he had taken the time to compile more "notes" in his device. He huddled next to the pilot, speaking in hushed, sometimes urgent tones. Every now and then he'd glance off into the distance, a distracted expression on his face. Vega and his people were chatting inanely amongst themselves, mostly about things unrelated to profit and interest in general, while the large furry house pet that had wanted to eat him earlier began crafting something. "What is thisss?" He asked Left Ear, pulling his blanket closer around his shoulders. She was making something to sit on, and was using things she'd found in the desert, of all places. Gabar wondered if this was perhaps a business opportunity.
Ahme Eletea pressed her binocs into her face, fingers tapping along the side of the field glasses to adjust the magnification. "They are different," she confirmed, and then continued, "And different again. There is one with fur."She had a horrible feeling about the whole thing. Ever since Fulren had begun his crazy chatter about aliens and probes and little brown men she'd been anxious. Others had dismissed it at first, but Ahme had recognised the ring of truth to the madness. "They all have different ears. Could they all be from the same place?"She turned to look at Fulren, the "expert". They had all manner of species here in the Dranse alone, surely, logically that could mean other places boasted the same? Other... planets. It was terrifying.
Tags: Left Ear to-Ennien , Kaya Som , Eliska Bremmer [ Cadet Left Ear to-Ennien - Rover 2 --> Cliffside Camp] As Left Ear settled onto her little mound of fabric, she watched the others as they did their own tasks and settled in for the night. Her gaze frequently found S'Riia. This was the first time she'd spent much time around the half-Caitian and Left Ear realized that she found the other furred crewmember a bit disquieting. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that bothered her. Sivaoans and Caitians were very different species, but the idea of procreating with a Human seemed rather repulsive to her. Actually, Left Ear doubted it would be possible even with extensive medical intervention, but still. As a member of the away team, Left Ear had taken a cursory look at everyone's medical files so that she would be aware of any allergies or special circumstances for an emergency, but hadn't looked any deeper, and wouldn't do so unless necessary. She was startled from her strange train of thoughts by Gabar's approach. Left Ear was shocked that he'd willingly approached her. She blinked up at him for a moment before answering. ' It's a simple shelter,' she explained. ' One useful to lay on, the other to cover, tied together so it won't get blown away.' Realizing that a demonstration might be more helpful, she stood and smoothed the lengths of fabric, then stepped onto on and dropped to the ground to lie on her side. She pulled the top useful over her, the twig arch in her hand, the ends of which she settled into the sand so the whole thing looked something like a sleeping bag or a very small pup tent with a rigid edge. Left Ear looked at Gabar. ' I can leave it like this so I can see out, or drop the edge to cover myself completely.' She gently pushed the arch over so that the top useful dropped right over her head. Left Ear curled slightly and sighed. ' Almost like home,' she said wistfully. ' Except this would be a hammock in a tree.' She set the arch back up so she could look around again and peered up at the Ferengi. Tag Felicity Ellis, Tag Isaiah Quinn for S'Riia mention
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Eliska Bremmer
Security & Tactical
[TI14]
Posts: 358 Likes: 7
Rank: Petty Officer 3rd Class
Position: Security
Species: Human
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Post by Eliska Bremmer on Nov 21, 2021 3:34:29 GMT
[NPC - PO1 S'Riia - B-975 III Desert (Rover-1)]S'Riia nodded as Vega told her to document her findings. She had proceeded to do just that. As it was announced that they would be resuming their search, there was another tidbit that gave the hybrid Caitian pause. As Vega announced that Bremmer was relieved, S'Riia couldn't resist the urge to look in both his direction and in Bremmer's. In part, it was to be certain that she'd heard what she thought she'd heard. Yet, it was also to see if anything else was to follow. Yet, what else was supposed to follow the Captain's orders? It was one thing to time Bremmer out, but to relieve her of duty on an away mission? It wasn't like they could just contact the ship and have her return. It was possible that it was for the Ferengi's approval, but there were no guranatees of that. "I'm fine," S'Riia said to Cadet Left Ear. She wasn't about to whine about a few scratches, especially considering they'd heal just fine with a little time. "Thank you," she added to the Sivaoan. After making certain the equipment was accounted for, it's condition documented and everything stowed, S'Riia hopped back into her Rover as their search continued. While keeping watch of the horizon as they drove, her mind wondered to the logistics considering Vega's orders. Were security duties solely her own now, or was someone else pulling double duty? O'Connell? Shavan? Waring? As Vega called for them to set up camp, S'Riia did her part and proceeded to take first watch. She weighed the idea of keeping watch the entire night, and grabbing a few catnaps while on the Rover. Most likely, Vega wouldn't approve, but she could probably work in a second rotation later after an hour of so of resting. She lifted the scope of her phaser rifle to her eye and swept the area. There didn't appear to be anything in range, of course, if there was something further off in the distance they likely wouldn't be able to tell until it got closer. There was something that did capture S'Riia's attention though. The security grunt tapped her combadge and spoke in a whisper. =A= S'Riia to Bremmer. Pair your scope with your tricorder. It's less obvious," =A= she suggested. If Bremmer was intent on keeping watch in her own way, at least this way it wouldn't appear that she was outright defying Vega. And maybe if it appeared that she'd done her penance, he'd bring her back to active duty. It may be wishful thinking, but it could also help keep an official reprimand out of her record. Should be easy enough for Bremmer to conceal those items if the occasion called for it.
Tag: Left Ear to-Ennien , Eliska Bremmer Soft Tag: Kaya Som (Vega / Rol), Syl O'Connell (Cerjess), Shavan Th'zhaar , Felicity Ellis , William Waring [ PO3 Eliska Bremmer - Rover 2 ]Something else that made Bremmer think Vega had just made the right kind of noises to appease the Ferengi, was that she hadn't been disarmed. Her hand phaser was still at her hip, her rifle was just within arm's reach. But then again, she wasn't about to ask him a bloody thing. That man was beyond her ability to read him; and, frankly, she had no idea what he really wanted at this point: to see her continue to work despite being officially relieved, or blindly obey regardless of the risks and strain on the others? It wasn't as if they were back on ship or on the station where there was a whole department able to spread the workload and working sensors to keep an eye on everything around them, after all. Though, something else she could use was some time with Syl. Easy conversation, some joking around, curling up with her... but between being out on an away mission and the mission commander at hand? That wouldn't be a good thing, for either of them. And that made it all the harder. Though, when her commbadge chirped and S'Riia spoke to her, Bremmer did manage a smile. =A= "Just looking at the scenery,"=A= she replied equally softly and giving an official answer as to what she was doing... but between the members of the lower decks, there were sayings, such as 'what the Sirs don't know won't hurt the Sirs, or you'. =A= "And if you need to be spelled off after the Sir's gone to sleep, let me know. Call it... volunteering in my ample free time."=A= No, no way in hell she was going to just sit this out. Even if she had to make the kind of official noises that said she was doing just that.
Tag Isaiah Quinn (S'Riia} Mention of Syl O'Connell
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Kaya Som
Engineering/Ops
Site Historian
Yaya! You have survived! That's too bad!
Posts: 804 Likes: 108
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Engineering
Species: Trill
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Post by Kaya Som on Nov 21, 2021 5:20:00 GMT
[ Cyran Iarsatra, Ambirren | Dune-top ]So far steady Cyran, with Ahme's level-headed help, had managed to keep young Fulren's enthusiasm at bay, had managed to keep this secret. Cyran had said it over and over again: wait until we know more, wait until we know more. But the more they discovered, the more Cyran worried that Fulren was right - they could not just wait for the aliens to make another move towards their amba fields, they couldn't just hope, and Mother Omir save them all, he could not tolerate more speculative babble about the social strata of strange visitors. "And what would we say, Fulren? Hello, welcome to Omir. We are Ambirren, how do you do? By the way, in our culture it's considered rude to crash-land probes and space ships on other peoples' farms." Sand-in-his-eye, Cyran sighed. It almost made sense. "They have look-outs, Cyran," said sweet Kerym. "With those devices."From their interactions with the small ones, the Ferengi, the Ambirren had learned the aliens had scanning technology of some kind, but that its range was limited. Felicity Ellis (Ahme), Eliska Bremmer (Fulren) [ Rol the pilot | Cliffside camp ]Rol sat in the driver's seat of the quiet rover, bundled up trying to keep warm. He absently handled his multi-device, its screen dark. Gabar was over bothering the feline, the higher-ranked official too friendly for his own good. This wasn't going to work, Rol was now sure of it. Their course was leading them far too close to where - to where they didn't want the Federation to know they'd been. Rol had considered driving them off-course, just a few degrees every hour or so, but they'd just end up lost. And now, Rol was quite certain the Starfleet away team were suspicious, if Gabar's broken ribs and bruised ears were any signal. No, this wasn't going to work. But just then, a tiny indicator light came on the multi-device. Rol nearly dropped it. The Gall-Laj! Finally! Rol gathered himself and started over to Gabar and the medic, trying to act casual. "Gabar, I need a word. It's about..." Rol paused a moment to consider the Sivaoan medic's strange set-up, "... about profits. Rule of Acquisition number seven." [fn]Keep your ears open.[/fn] Felicity Ellis (Gabar), Left Ear to-Ennien
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Felicity Ellis
Command
Cap'n Mum
[TI11]
Posts: 719 Likes: 59
Rank: Commander
Position: XO
Species: Human
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Post by Felicity Ellis on Nov 21, 2021 15:46:17 GMT
[ (NPC)Fulren - In the dunes ]It had taken quite a bit of nagging to be get Cyran to finally agree to go out and look those strangers in the Dranse over. But eventually, between having spotted those strange little ones with the sharp teeth and the wind-scoop ears and presenting some of their technology, something that had innards that had some resemblance to some fine optics strapped on the side of a spectrograph, he had been able to convince him to go take a look. And now, they were camped out at the bottom of the cliff. Not a bad place to set up camp, all in all, but it could have been better. Protected from the dominant winds, but if they'd gone just a little further out, they would have found a spring of good clean water. But they were outsiders... probably aliens from somewhere deep in space. Could they be from Nargothrond, the start closest to their own? Or from further? And, it looked like they had a pair of those small ones with them, and one who looked... furry? Now that was so fascinating! "I don't know Ahme! Like I told all of you, they could be from anywhere. They could be from Nargothrond, or even further out. But look at how many stars there are! If they can come here, who's to say if they're the same species? Or come from the same place? There's no way to know unless we talk to them! But it looks like the little ones, they're the ones giving the orders, look how it's approaching the furry one. Or maybe the furry one is the one in charge, there's only one of them? I don't know! Cyran, we must talk to them!" [ Cadet Left Ear to-Ennien - Rover 2 --> Cliffside Camp] As Left Ear settled onto her little mound of fabric, she watched the others as they did their own tasks and settled in for the night. Her gaze frequently found S'Riia. This was the first time she'd spent much time around the half-Caitian and Left Ear realized that she found the other furred crewmember a bit disquieting. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that bothered her. Sivaoans and Caitians were very different species, but the idea of procreating with a Human seemed rather repulsive to her. Actually, Left Ear doubted it would be possible even with extensive medical intervention, but still. As a member of the away team, Left Ear had taken a cursory look at everyone's medical files so that she would be aware of any allergies or special circumstances for an emergency, but hadn't looked any deeper, and wouldn't do so unless necessary. She was startled from her strange train of thoughts by Gabar's approach. Left Ear was shocked that he'd willingly approached her. She blinked up at him for a moment before answering. ' It's a simple shelter,' she explained. ' One useful to lay on, the other to cover, tied together so it won't get blown away.' Realizing that a demonstration might be more helpful, she stood and smoothed the lengths of fabric, then stepped onto on and dropped to the ground to lie on her side. She pulled the top useful over her, the twig arch in her hand, the ends of which she settled into the sand so the whole thing looked something like a sleeping bag or a very small pup tent with a rigid edge. Left Ear looked at Gabar. ' I can leave it like this so I can see out, or drop the edge to cover myself completely.' She gently pushed the arch over so that the top useful dropped right over her head. Left Ear curled slightly and sighed. ' Almost like home,' she said wistfully. ' Except this would be a hammock in a tree.' She set the arch back up so she could look around again and peered up at the Ferengi. [ Cyran Iarsatra, Ambirren | Dune-top ]So far steady Cyran, with Ahme's level-headed help, had managed to keep young Fulren's enthusiasm at bay, had managed to keep this secret. Cyran had said it over and over again: wait until we know more, wait until we know more. But the more they discovered, the more Cyran worried that Fulren was right - they could not just wait for the aliens to make another move towards their amba fields, they couldn't just hope, and Mother Omir save them all, he could not tolerate more speculative babble about the social strata of strange visitors. "And what would we say, Fulren? Hello, welcome to Omir. We are Ambirren, how do you do? By the way, in our culture it's considered rude to crash-land probes and space ships on other peoples' farms." Sand-in-his-eye, Cyran sighed. It almost made sense. "They have look-outs, Cyran," said sweet Kerym. "With those devices."From their interactions with the small ones, the Ferengi, the Ambirren had learned the aliens had scanning technology of some kind, but that its range was limited. Felicity Ellis (Ahme), Eliska Bremmer (Fulren) [ Rol the pilot | Cliffside camp ]Rol sat in the driver's seat of the quiet rover, bundled up trying to keep warm. He absently handled his multi-device, its screen dark. Gabar was over bothering the feline, the higher-ranked official too friendly for his own good. This wasn't going to work, Rol was now sure of it. Their course was leading them far too close to where - to where they didn't want the Federation to know they'd been. Rol had considered driving them off-course, just a few degrees every hour or so, but they'd just end up lost. And now, Rol was quite certain the Starfleet away team were suspicious, if Gabar's broken ribs and bruised ears were any signal. No, this wasn't going to work. But just then, a tiny indicator light came on the multi-device. Rol nearly dropped it. The Gall-Laj! Finally! Rol gathered himself and started over to Gabar and the medic, trying to act casual. "Gabar, I need a word. It's about..." Rol paused a moment to consider the Sivaoan medic's strange set-up, "... about profits. Rule of Acquisition number seven." [fn]Keep your ears open.[/fn] Felicity Ellis (Gabar), Left Ear to-Ennien [Officer Gabar - Cliffside Camp]"Yes, yesss..." The Ferengi muttered as the pet demonstrated her little all-weather house. He'd unclenched one hand from around his blanket, and was tapping his chin with a finger, looking deep in thought, the machine cogs of the machine mind within turning. "A useful, indeed!" Gabar had cocked his head a little as his eyes roved over the contraption. "And this is contructed with only materials you had available to you, and with items you found here, in this wretchedly dry desert?"He was planning on how to use this, how to sell this idea of back-up, locally sourced and up-cycled shelter directly back to the Starfleeters, when Rol approached. "Ah..." Gabar's eyes shifted from left to right, eyeing up anyone in close proximity. "One of the best Rules."He gestured for the other Ferengi to walk with him, and once they were out of the humans' limited earshot, he turned to the pilot. "What is it!?" [Ahme Eletea - Dune-top]"Surely, Fulren, if they were here to say hello, they would have done so already? They would have approached our town from the front, like all guests should?"Ahme was not quite so excited at the prospect of approaching them first. She quite agreed with Cyran Iarsatra's reasonable observations. The young apprentice herbalist supposed that was why he was their elected leader. When Kerym pointed out the alien lookouts, Ahme returned her glasses to her eyes. "They appear unconcerned. They have not yet noticed us. We could get closer."Small relief flooded through her. As soon as she remembered that the small ones with the large ears already knew of their existence, the worry returned, but she had spotted one or two items of interest, and despite the gnawing worry, she found herself curious for a closer look.
Tags: Left Ear to-Ennien , Kaya Som , Eliska Bremmer
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Nov 21, 2021 17:00:32 GMT
[Lt. JG Cerjess Miren - B-975 III - Desert Camp]As it turned out, he didn't need to work very hard on that particular project. Only half of the data had compiled when a green light flashed on his tricorder. The Ferengi's equipment just received something. Something from orbit. With the limited background scan, he wasn't able to determine what or how, but at least they had the confirmation that it was happening. Doing his best to keep his expression unchanged, he pulled out his personal PADD and typed in a quick message to Captain Vega. Confirmed. Keeping that PADD in his lap, he turned his attention back to his project, making a few adjustments to the tricorder to see if he could figure out how that particular transmission had made it through the radiation.
Tag Kaya Som
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Isaiah Quinn
Science
[TI36]
Posts: 1,153 Likes: 57
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Isaiah Quinn on Nov 21, 2021 21:57:50 GMT
[NPC - PO1 S'Riia - B-975 III Desert (Rover-1)]=A= "Acknowledged," was S'Riia's reply to Bremmer's response. She could have just as easily have ordered Eliska to cease her actions, but having more pairs of eyes on their surroundings was tactically sound. Besides, she wasn't officially violating any orders. Merely, watching their surroundings. Of course, S'Riia wasn't about to put them in any position to even seemingly defy Vega's orders. Somehow, the image of Vega waking up and accusing them both of mutiny didn't seem at all appealing. S'Riia's ears twitched causing her attention to focus on her surroundings once more. She lifted the scope of the phaser rifle to her eye and swept over the area. With the flick of a switch with her thumb, she switched to thermal view. She lowered the scope and used her natural eye sight to sweep the area as well for signs of anything else approaching.
[Lt. Commander Isaiah Quinn - Bridge, USS Mac ] Isaiah's mug had just touched his lips when his console lit up and chimed. He pressed the glowing panel and looked over the readout of the sensors. There was a slight burst of radiation in the area that had been directed towards the planet. However, it wasn't emanating from the system's sun. That certainly ruled out any natural occurring phenomenon. Which meant it was artificial in origin. And all things considered, there were only two possible origins for the emission: the Mac, or the Ferengi vessel. Of course, exactly what the Ferengi were doing was the real question.
Tag to Rover 1: Kaya Som (Vega / Rol), Syl O'Connell (Cerjess), Shavan Th'zhaar Soft Tag: Left Ear to-Ennien , Eliska Bremmer , Felicity Ellis , William Waring
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Kaya Som
Engineering/Ops
Site Historian
Yaya! You have survived! That's too bad!
Posts: 804 Likes: 108
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Engineering
Species: Trill
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Post by Kaya Som on Nov 22, 2021 18:55:08 GMT
[ Capt. Oberon Vega (bio) ]Captain Vega received Cerjess' one-word message. Confirmed. Vega stood up and took quick accounting of the two Ferengi. Sure enough, off by the medic's little tent, Gabar and Rol were in a huddle. They'd been stuck close together all day, so this was no in itself unusual. Regardless, their conversation was well-timed with Cerjess' apparent finding. Vega moved to Cerjess. "Show me. Source?" Syl O'Connell (Miren) [ Rol, the pilot | Cliff-side camp ]Rol spoke quietly to Gabar, revealing the screen of the multi-device under his sleeve. "It is the Gall-Laj. They say ..." he paused and re-read it. "They want more samples of the microbe in case what was in the shuttle was too badly damaged. How are we supposed to manage that, towing them around? This is not in my job description." Felicity Ellis (Gabar) [ Cyran Iarsatra, Ambirren | Dune-top ]Even steady Ahme, she could not just stand on the edge of history. Change was coming. Cyran looked to Fulren, and to Kerym and Kailu. It was only a matter of time. He mulled. "If I were them on this cold night... I'd rather be greeted by amba-light than bandits slinking around in the dark." He looked to the others. "By the front door. Just ... careful now." When all were ready, Cyran would turn the knob on the top of his staff, activating a yellow-orange bulb of light on top. Meanwhile, Kailu brought around their mounts, tamed desert herdbeasts with their shaggy coats well groomed. Together they'd ride the two miles to alien camp. Cryan was not a diplomat or a scientist. He did not read science fiction, he didn't know that more curious people than he had dreamed of this moment and exactly what to say. He just knew that there was always an opportunity for a better start. Eliska Bremmer (Fulren), Felicity Ellis (Ahme), @anyone keeping look-out or scanning for life forms
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Eliska Bremmer
Security & Tactical
[TI14]
Posts: 358 Likes: 7
Rank: Petty Officer 3rd Class
Position: Security
Species: Human
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Post by Eliska Bremmer on Nov 22, 2021 19:51:03 GMT
{Quoted Post(s)} [ Cyran Iarsatra, Ambirren | Dune-top ]So far steady Cyran, with Ahme's level-headed help, had managed to keep young Fulren's enthusiasm at bay, had managed to keep this secret. Cyran had said it over and over again: wait until we know more, wait until we know more. But the more they discovered, the more Cyran worried that Fulren was right - they could not just wait for the aliens to make another move towards their amba fields, they couldn't just hope, and Mother Omir save them all, he could not tolerate more speculative babble about the social strata of strange visitors. "And what would we say, Fulren? Hello, welcome to Omir. We are Ambirren, how do you do? By the way, in our culture it's considered rude to crash-land probes and space ships on other peoples' farms." Sand-in-his-eye, Cyran sighed. It almost made sense. "They have look-outs, Cyran," said sweet Kerym. "With those devices."From their interactions with the small ones, the Ferengi, the Ambirren had learned the aliens had scanning technology of some kind, but that its range was limited. Felicity Ellis (Ahme), Eliska Bremmer (Fulren) [ Rol the pilot | Cliffside camp ]Rol sat in the driver's seat of the quiet rover, bundled up trying to keep warm. He absently handled his multi-device, its screen dark. Gabar was over bothering the feline, the higher-ranked official too friendly for his own good. This wasn't going to work, Rol was now sure of it. Their course was leading them far too close to where - to where they didn't want the Federation to know they'd been. Rol had considered driving them off-course, just a few degrees every hour or so, but they'd just end up lost. And now, Rol was quite certain the Starfleet away team were suspicious, if Gabar's broken ribs and bruised ears were any signal. No, this wasn't going to work. But just then, a tiny indicator light came on the multi-device. Rol nearly dropped it. The Gall-Laj! Finally! Rol gathered himself and started over to Gabar and the medic, trying to act casual. "Gabar, I need a word. It's about..." Rol paused a moment to consider the Sivaoan medic's strange set-up, "... about profits. Rule of Acquisition number seven." [fn]Keep your ears open.[/fn] Felicity Ellis (Gabar), Left Ear to-Ennien [Officer Gabar - Cliffside Camp]"Yes, yesss..." The Ferengi muttered as the pet demonstrated her little all-weather house. He'd unclenched one hand from around his blanket, and was tapping his chin with a finger, looking deep in thought, the machine cogs of the machine mind within turning. "A useful, indeed!" Gabar had cocked his head a little as his eyes roved over the contraption. "And this is contructed with only materials you had available to you, and with items you found here, in this wretchedly dry desert?"He was planning on how to use this, how to sell this idea of back-up, locally sourced and up-cycled shelter directly back to the Starfleeters, when Rol approached. "Ah..." Gabar's eyes shifted from left to right, eyeing up anyone in close proximity. "One of the best Rules."He gestured for the other Ferengi to walk with him, and once they were out of the humans' limited earshot, he turned to the pilot. "What is it!?" [Ahme Eletea - Dune-top]"Surely, Fulren, if they were here to say hello, they would have done so already? They would have approached our town from the front, like all guests should?"Ahme was not quite so excited at the prospect of approaching them first. She quite agreed with Cyran Iarsatra's reasonable observations. The young apprentice herbalist supposed that was why he was their elected leader. When Kerym pointed out the alien lookouts, Ahme returned her glasses to her eyes. "They appear unconcerned. They have not yet noticed us. We could get closer."Small relief flooded through her. As soon as she remembered that the small ones with the large ears already knew of their existence, the worry returned, but she had spotted one or two items of interest, and despite the gnawing worry, she found herself curious for a closer look.
Tags: Left Ear to-Ennien , Kaya Som , Eliska Bremmer [NPC - PO1 S'Riia - B-975 III Desert (Rover-1)]=A= "Acknowledged," was S'Riia's reply to Bremmer's response. She could have just as easily have ordered Eliska to cease her actions, but having more pairs of eyes on their surroundings was tactically sound. Besides, she wasn't officially violating any orders. Merely, watching their surroundings. Of course, S'Riia wasn't about to put them in any position to even seemingly defy Vega's orders. Somehow, the image of Vega waking up and accusing them both of mutiny didn't seem at all appealing. S'Riia's ears twitched causing her attention to focus on her surroundings once more. She lifted the scope of the phaser rifle to her eye and swept over the area. With the flick of a switch with her thumb, she switched to thermal view. She lowered the scope and used her natural eye sight to sweep the area as well for signs of anything else approaching.
[Lt. Commander Isaiah Quinn - Bridge, USS Mac ] Isaiah's mug had just touched his lips when his console lit up and chimed. He pressed the glowing panel and looked over the readout of the sensors. There was a slight burst of radiation in the area that had been directed towards the planet. However, it wasn't emanating from the system's sun. That certainly ruled out any natural occurring phenomenon. Which meant it was artificial in origin. And all things considered, there were only two possible origins for the emission: the Mac, or the Ferengi vessel. Of course, exactly what the Ferengi were doing was the real question.
Tag to Rover 1: Kaya Som (Vega / Rol), Syl O'Connell (Cerjess), Shavan Th'zhaar Soft Tag: Left Ear to-Ennien , Eliska Bremmer , Felicity Ellis , William Waring [ Capt. Oberon Vega (bio) ]Captain Vega received Cerjess' one-word message. Confirmed. Vega stood up and took quick accounting of the two Ferengi. Sure enough, off by the medic's little tent, Gabar and Rol were in a huddle. They'd been stuck close together all day, so this was no in itself unusual. Regardless, their conversation was well-timed with Cerjess' apparent finding. Vega moved to Cerjess. "Show me. Source?" Syl O'Connell (Miren) [ Rol, the pilot | Cliff-side camp ]Rol spoke quietly to Gabar, revealing the screen of the multi-device under his sleeve. "It is the Gall-Laj. They say ..." he paused and re-read it. "They want more samples of the microbe in case what was in the shuttle was too badly damaged. How are we supposed to manage that, towing them around? This is not in my job description." Felicity Ellis (Gabar) [ Cyran Iarsatra, Ambirren | Dune-top ]Even steady Ahme, she could not just stand on the edge of history. Change was coming. Cyran looked to Fulren, and to Kerym and Kailu. It was only a matter of time. He mulled. "If I were them on this cold night... I'd rather be greeted by amba-light than bandits slinking around in the dark." He looked to the others. "By the front door. Just ... careful now." When all were ready, Cyran would turn the knob on the top of his staff, activating a yellow-orange bulb of light on top. Meanwhile, Kailu brought around their mounts, tamed desert herdbeasts with their shaggy coats well groomed. Together they'd ride the two miles to alien camp. Cryan was not a diplomat or a scientist. He did not read science fiction, he didn't know that more curious people than he had dreamed of this moment and exactly what to say. He just knew that there was always an opportunity for a better start. Eliska Bremmer (Fulren), Felicity Ellis (Ahme), @anyone keeping look-out or scanning for life forms [ (NPC) Fulren - Dunes ]Of course, there would be questions. But Ahme did ask some good ones, like why they never actually came out and made contact. The short ones with the big ears knew of their people and couldn't possibly be unaware the Ambirren knew about them, but hadn't reached out. The taller ones, they seemed a little more worried about keeping their distance, but he couldn't be sure. "I don't know why they didn't introduce themselves yet, Ahme. I'm smart but I'm not clairvoyant. Maybe in their culture, visitors wait to be acknowledged? I mean if you were visiting one of the camps, would you just barge right in or would you announce yourself and wait to be invited? Maybe they're waiting for them to know we're here so they can do just that?" Of course, it was all supposition, but it was all they really had at this time. But, before long, Cyran made the call and they mounted up to make their way towards the strangers. Stories about aliens from other worlds were nothing new all right, and Fulren definitely felt a degree of trepidation. On one hand, they could be an advance party for invaders and would crush them like bugs... or they could be peaceful explorers and diplomats? Or were they ruthless traders seeking for new resources and markets? There was no way to know... For now. [ PO3 Eliska Bremmer - Desert Camp ]Bremmer's eyes were still on the desert, alternating between long looks with her own eyes, and then with her scope. The moon was just starting to crest over the horizon and its reflected light was nothing like that of Nova Kosice's moon of Presov. Different colour, different shadows and craters, and most definitely not the glow of the bioluminescent algae in the liquid methane quasi-oceans. Now, she was about to curl up and get some sleep, maybe dream of doing just that with Syl again, when something caught her eye. There was a play of shadows in the moonlight, and some lights were... moving? Instantly she brought her scope to her eye, and when she confirmed that she had seen something her hand shot to her commbadge as she rolled to a kneeling position and scooped up her rifle with her free hand. . Whether it would get back to Vega that she called it out, she hardly cared: a greater offence would be to not report the movement, than falling back on training and the role for which she was on that mission. =A= S'Riia, Bremmer. Contact, bearing 147, coming down from the dune on the horizon. I make it five... riders, with artificial lights, headed our way."=A=
Tag Kaya Som Isaiah Quinn Felicity Ellis Softs to everyone else.
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Isaiah Quinn
Science
[TI36]
Posts: 1,153 Likes: 57
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Isaiah Quinn on Nov 23, 2021 1:02:49 GMT
[NPC - PO1 S'Riia - B-975 III Desert (Rover-1)]A sharp hiss left S'Riia's lips as she looked upon the horizon, or rather what was approaching. She brought the scope of her phaser rifle to her eye once more and confirmed what she'd seen without it. Though, she apparently wasn't the only one. She could hear Bremmer's com calling in what she'd seen as well. "I've got eyes on them," the half-Caitian responded. "Stand ready." It was the only order she was prepared to give. At least not without knowing how Captain Vega desired to proceed. Speaking of which. [/font]S'Riia's furred hand quickly tapped her combadge. "S'Riia to Vega," she called into the air. "Sir, I count five locals approaching our position. They're mounted on those herd animals we came across in the desert." S'Riia knew that it wasn't her pace to hypothesize, but she could offer more context of what she was seeing. "Captain, this doesn't look like some sort of evening ride. Their approach doesn't appear hostile, but it seems they've already made our position. Orders, sir?"
Tag to Rover 1: Kaya Som (Vega / Rol), Syl O'Connell (Cerjess), Shavan Th'zhaar Soft Tag: Left Ear to-Ennien , Eliska Bremmer , Felicity Ellis , William Waring
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Felicity Ellis
Command
Cap'n Mum
[TI11]
Posts: 719 Likes: 59
Rank: Commander
Position: XO
Species: Human
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Post by Felicity Ellis on Nov 23, 2021 13:52:06 GMT
[ Rol, the pilot | Cliff-side camp ]Rol spoke quietly to Gabar, revealing the screen of the multi-device under his sleeve. "It is the Gall-Laj. They say ..." he paused and re-read it. "They want more samples of the microbe in case what was in the shuttle was too badly damaged. How are we supposed to manage that, towing them around? This is not in my job description." Felicity Ellis (Gabar) [ Cyran Iarsatra, Ambirren | Dune-top ]Even steady Ahme, she could not just stand on the edge of history. Change was coming. Cyran looked to Fulren, and to Kerym and Kailu. It was only a matter of time. He mulled. "If I were them on this cold night... I'd rather be greeted by amba-light than bandits slinking around in the dark." He looked to the others. "By the front door. Just ... careful now." When all were ready, Cyran would turn the knob on the top of his staff, activating a yellow-orange bulb of light on top. Meanwhile, Kailu brought around their mounts, tamed desert herdbeasts with their shaggy coats well groomed. Together they'd ride the two miles to alien camp. Cryan was not a diplomat or a scientist. He did not read science fiction, he didn't know that more curious people than he had dreamed of this moment and exactly what to say. He just knew that there was always an opportunity for a better start. [ (NPC) Fulren - Dunes ]Of course, there would be questions. But Ahme did ask some good ones, like why they never actually came out and made contact. The short ones with the big ears knew of their people and couldn't possibly be unaware the Ambirren knew about them, but hadn't reached out. The taller ones, they seemed a little more worried about keeping their distance, but he couldn't be sure. "I don't know why they didn't introduce themselves yet, Ahme. I'm smart but I'm not clairvoyant. Maybe in their culture, visitors wait to be acknowledged? I mean if you were visiting one of the camps, would you just barge right in or would you announce yourself and wait to be invited? Maybe they're waiting for them to know we're here so they can do just that?" Of course, it was all supposition, but it was all they really had at this time. But, before long, Cyran made the call and they mounted up to make their way towards the strangers. Stories about aliens from other worlds were nothing new all right, and Fulren definitely felt a degree of trepidation. On one hand, they could be an advance party for invaders and would crush them like bugs... or they could be peaceful explorers and diplomats? Or were they ruthless traders seeking for new resources and markets? There was no way to know... For now. [ PO3 Eliska Bremmer - Desert Camp ]Bremmer's eyes were still on the desert, alternating between long looks with her own eyes, and then with her scope. The moon was just starting to crest over the horizon and its reflected light was nothing like that of Nova Kosice's moon of Presov. Different colour, different shadows and craters, and most definitely not the glow of the bioluminescent algae in the liquid methane quasi-oceans. Now, she was about to curl up and get some sleep, maybe dream of doing just that with Syl again, when something caught her eye. There was a play of shadows in the moonlight, and some lights were... moving? Instantly she brought her scope to her eye, and when she confirmed that she had seen something her hand shot to her commbadge as she rolled to a kneeling position and scooped up her rifle with her free hand. . Whether it would get back to Vega that she called it out, she hardly cared: a greater offence would be to not report the movement, than falling back on training and the role for which she was on that mission. =A= S'Riia, Bremmer. Contact, bearing 147, coming down from the dune on the horizon. I make it five... riders, with artificial lights, headed our way."=A= [Ahme Eletea - Dune-top]Fulren's lack of humility made her uncomfortable; it always had. While she believed imagination and creativity were useful for their society, she felt when coupled with lack of inhibition that it could be dangerous. This was a beginning of sorts, Ahme knew. Things would never be the same again. She just hoped they weren't being lead to the beginning of the end. At Cryan's orders, she climbed her mount. In a steady procession they approached the camp, from the front and open, amba-light glowing with its trademark warmth. As they ventured closer, Ahme's amber eyes scanned from one direction to the other, trying to take in as much as she could before she found herself before them, when such proximity might render intense study impolite. There was some movement in the camp as these strange aliens began to react to their presence. She spread her arms out wide, hoping to show that she was not intent on threat. [Officer Gabar - Cliffside Camp]When it became clear that Rol had something to show him, Gabar repositioned his body to block any prying eyes that might be close by. The new orders from the Gall-Laj were not welcomed. He hissed. "They have no idea how hard it is down here! We are risking our lives, that has to be worth more." He pointed at Rol's multi-device. "Tell them we will obtain more samples, but we want an extra 5%. Each."He returned to studying the Starfleeters with narrowed eyes. "We will wait until they are resting. We can -"An unexpected, new sound drew his attention away from their plotting. Outlined against the horizon were the latinum-coloured giants of this rich planet. He gasped and clutched his blanket to him tighter. "No!" Then he grabbed a hold of the pilot and began dragging him forward, keen to intercept the locals before the Starfleet team did. There was no hiding now, they had been seen, the best he could hope for was somehow minimising the fallout.
Tags: Kaya Som , softs to all.
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Left Ear to-Ennien
Medical
Posts: 229 Likes: 3
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Cadet/civilian healer
Species: Sivaoan
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Post by Left Ear to-Ennien on Nov 23, 2021 14:10:44 GMT
[ Cadet Left Ear to-Ennien - Cliffside Camp] ' Y-yes,' Left Ear started to hesitantly answer Gabar before the other Ferengi approached and drew him away. She had no idea what had made him so excited or interested or whatever he'd been. The Sivaoan wasn't familiar enough with Ferengi scents to tell. They moved far enough away that Left Ear's universal translator didn't seem to be able to render their words for her, but she could still make out their voices fairly clearly. She assumed they were speaking the Ferengi language. It was probably rude, but she listened, despite not understanding a word. A hiss caught her attention and she jerked her head around to look for the source. Left Ear pushed back her usefuls and rolled to her feet, tail twitching tensely, ears twisting and flicking to catch every sound around her, mouth open as she inhaled deeply to catch any scents on the air. It was only then that she saw the distant silhouettes. Oops. This was exactly what they were supposed to be avoiding. So what happened now? Left Ear stayed in position and tried not to let her fur bristle. Among her own people, that would make her seem more threatening, so she didn't want to give that appearance here; but she was nervous and couldn't help an occasional ripple of her skin that raised the fur along her back momentarily. She watched, icy blue irises almost subsumed by her pupils as they widened to catch every bit of the low light. Passing tag Felicity Ellis and Kaya Som; soft tags everyone else
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Syl O'Connell
Flight Control
[TI8]
Posts: 662 Likes: 9
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Flight Control/Caldonia 5
Species: Human
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Post by Syl O'Connell on Nov 23, 2021 21:18:18 GMT
[Lt. JG Cerjess Miren - B-975 III - Desert Camp]When the Captain came over to inquire about his findings, Cerjess showed him the information on the tricorder. "Their equipment just received a burst of radiation. From orbit." It was clever... concealing information in radiation in order to pass through radiation... And something that Lt. Miren wouldn't have thought of on his own. Just then there was another blip on the tricorder... This one red. The proximity alert. "Locals have just entered scanning range." He kept his voice low, but it seemed the locals had also entered visual range for those keeping watch. His body tensed as he waited for the orders on how to proceed. Tag Kaya Som [Lt. JG Syl O'Connell - B-975 III - Middle of Nowhere]Bremmer's sudden movement caught her attention, pulling her out of her nearly-relaxed state. Turning her head, she saw Eliska sitting up and reaching for her rifle, which was enough to make Syl also sit up and turn to look in the same direction. Sure enough, there were floating lights in the distance... getting closer the longer she watched them. Didn't every Starfleet officer dream of making First Contact with a new species? Perhaps, but Syl wasn't sure if she was excited or terrified. She listened to the various murmurings of those in the camp as everyone became aware of the situation, but her eyes never left the floating lights.
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Shavan Th'zhaar
Science
[TI35]
Posts: 800 Likes: 19
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Assistant Chief of Science
Species: Orion/Andorian
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Post by Shavan Th'zhaar on Nov 24, 2021 4:16:05 GMT
[Shavan Th’zhaar - Cliffside Camp]
The twilight desert was peaceful, beautiful even in its unnerving openness. Another routine scan and sweep of the area revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Shavan leaned back against the rock, resigned to a quiet few hours on watch.
Then, very faintly, his eyes picked up a glimmer of light that hadn’t been there before. He quickly took out his tricorder again, which confirmed that the presence of the animals they had seen earlier- along with the humanoids they were meant to be avoiding, just entering scanning range. And they were moving straight toward the camp.
At almost the same moment, the hushed voices from where the others had gathered confirmed that he was not the only one who had noticed. His gaze sought out Vega and the others, his antennae flicking toward the camp as he moved back in time to listen for the other reports. Repeating the same information would just be redundant and add to the confusion. So he simply paid attention to the unfolding scene, and waited to see if the Captain had any orders.
In the meantime he obscured any light that his equipment made and pressed back into the shadows of the rock, so as not to draw any more unnecessary attention from the strangers. For the moment he continued to keep watch, keeping the scan running and focusing on the tiny lights drawing closer.
The Ferengi moving towards the visitors did not escape his notice.
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