Lt. JG Natasha Cole - Just Beneath the Surface
Natasha Schell
(( Archaeological Survey Site – Serein Basin, Rylor ))
The Trill woman was a little farther down the excavation line, one boot braced against a low rise of packed earth as she leaned over an exposed stone panel. Sleeves rolled. Gloves dusted pale from fieldwork. There was nothing theatrical about the way she moved, but there was precision in it … confidence, the kind of ease that came from knowing both the work and the space around it.
Tall, too … Noticeably. Natasha slowed just a fraction.
oO Well that seems excessive. Oo
She watched as the woman spoke quietly to two volunteers working the edge of a newly opened section, gesturing toward a narrow support seam and then toward a marked boundary post. Not bossy. Just certain.
Before Natasha could decide whether to introduce herself immediately or wait until she wasn’t obviously staring, the woman glanced up and noticed them.
Natasha pretended she had not, in fact, been caught mid-assessment and stepped the rest of the way down into the trench.
Cole: Lieutenant Junior Grade Natasha Cole. I was told this was the place to report if I wanted to exchange paperwork for dirt.
Jovenan: I’m Jovenan. We’re here to volunteer.
Natasha had the distinct feeling she was being studied as Nyra looked between them, a faint half-smirk appearing on her face.
Tal: Lieutenant Nyra Tal. ::lifting her trowel:: And congratulations – you’ve both passed the first test of archaeological volunteering.
Nyra gestured lightly with the trowel in her hand.
Tal: You found the trench without falling into it. ::beat:: Statistically speaking, that puts you ahead of our last two volunteers.
Cole: I’ll take the win. It’s nice to start a volunteer position by exceeding expectations.
Jovenan: I haven’t done archaeological work before, but I’m familiar with rocks and digging. I’m a planetary scientist. Would that help at all?
Nyra’s expression seemed to brighten slightly at Jovenan’s comment.
Tal: That helps quite a lot, actually.
Nyra moved to the edge of the trench and crouched, gesturing toward the exposed sediment layers running along the wall.
Tal: We’re working through late-period habitation strata – mostly structural collapse and household debris. Stone, ceramics, occasional tool fragments.
As Nyra tapped one of the layers lightly with her trowel, Natasha had unconsciously lowered herself into a squatting position to see what she was describing in better detail. She could tell the Trill woman was clearly dedicated to this work.
Tal: Your knowledge will help us avoid accidentally cataloguing ‘interesting dirt’ as something archeologically significant.
Nyra’s gaze flicked toward Cole again.
Tal: And you… the posture. The sharp eyes, constantly scanning. I’m going to say… Intelligence, Tactical, or Security. Am I close, or am I close?
oO Great. So much for blending in. Oo
Cole: Security. I was aiming for “mysterious volunteer,” but apparently I missed the mark.
As Nyra stepped aside, Natasha surveyed the area. It was divided into a grid pattern, narrow string lines splitting the excavation into careful squares.
Jovenan: What kind of findings can we expect?
Tal: This section belonged to a settlement that predates Rylor’s early orbital expansion. Probably agricultural – possibly trade-related.
Nat watched as Nyra crouched and brushed a small patch of soil away with practiced ease.
Tal: Most of what we’re finding are foundation stones, storage fragments, and the occasional domestic artifact.
Cole: Domestic artifacts, huh. There’s something nice about that. Not monuments or battlefields, just evidence that people lived here.
Jovenan: Response
Nyra glanced at the indicated layer, then back at Jovenan with clear approval.
Tal: Exactly.
Nat watched as Nyra continued.
Tal: Seasonal flooding most likely. It sealed the earlier habitation layer before erosion could scatter everything.
Nyra brushed another thin sweep of dust aside, revealing the faint edge of something pale beneath the soil.
Tal: ::wry wink at Jovenan:: Nature occasionally does archaeologists the courtesy of preserving things for us.
Cole: Nature doing anyone a courtesy feels statistically suspicious, which feels kind of exciting.
Jovenan: Response
Natasha glanced up just as Nyra tilted her head toward her, their eyes meeting briefly.
Tal: Depends on your definition of exciting.
She watched as Nyra pointed her brush toward the square they were standing over.
Tal: If you mean culturally significant artifacts, intact structures, or historical data that changes our understanding of the settlement ::pause:: approximately three percent.
Cole: ::looking over the square:: So you’re saying there’s still a chance of some kind of discovery. Interesting.
Jovenan: Response
Nyra retrieved a brush and a narrow trowel from the tray beside the trench for each of them.
Tal: Then let’s test the hypothesis.
Nyra gestured towards two empty squares in the grid as she continued.
Tal: Jovenan, you can take C-8. Cole, right beside her at the edge of the trench in C-7. ::small, amused glance:: Perimeter awareness may prove useful if any aggressive pottery fragments attempt an escape.
oO Calm, observant, and funny. That seemed unfair. Oo
Nyra stepped down into the trench herself, kneeling easily in the dust. Natasha looked to Jovenan and gestured for her to follow with a warm smile. This was already a fun experience; the mystery of what lay just under the surface was a little intoxicating.
Cole: Understood. I’ll secure the area and neutralize any hostile ceramics.
Jovenan/Tal: Response
After a few quiet moments of methodically sweeping with her trowel, careful not to apply too much pressure, Natasha focused on moving only the loose soil. Examining the area, Natasha glanced up toward the other two women.
Cole: You know, I can see the appeal. There’s something nice about work where the goal isn’t to stop a disaster, just… uncover what’s already there.
Jovenan/Tal: Response
She smiled at that. This was genuinely fun. Having a new experience in a setting that didn’t involve danger or urgency was a nice change. She returned to gently excavating her square when her trowel caught on something beneath the loose soil.
Cole: Lieutenant… I think I found something that is either interesting or very bad.
She grabbed her brush and started to sweep the loose soil away revealing something metallic and old.
Cole: It looks like a fitting… or maybe a latch. Which feels like an important detail, archaeology-wise.
Jovenan/Tal: Response
Tags/TBC
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Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
Writer ID A240205NC4