Lt. JG. Gnai - It's Always Caves, Isn't It?
Lich
(( Outskirts of the Bantlox Colony - Laoi III ))
As Lt. Sadar tapped away at her PADD, trying to find answers to Lt. Vailani’s question, something that had been bothering Gnai kept pecking away at its mind. Before they did anything… it wanted its concerns to be voiced at least, if not properly addressed. The colony so far had been, well, not exactly the most cooperative, which worried it greatly.
Gnai: Not to interrupt but, sirs… you said that there weren’t good relations between the Federation and these colonies. What is the plan if the colonists are somehow… less inclined to accept assistance than their administrator? Some of them might not want to move, even briefly?
Vailani: We offer our help, we provide them with the information and a thorough assessment of the risks. If they choose to stay after that then there is very little we can do about it. We'll still help them in whatever way they want. Given Bim Pend still agreed to evacuate, that gives me some hope they'll see sense. Having a Dominion Attack Ship on your doorstep may be a good motivator.
Gnai: That’s true… And perhaps Bim Pend can be sent to any hold-outs, and use his local power to sway them.
He certainly would hold more sway with ornery folks they might find here, as far as Gnai was concerned. And he could be the one to deal with them, and put up with any complaints that might occur. Was Gnai still a bit sore that all the fun of this mission had vanished with the discovery of the ship? Perhaps. Oh well. Taking it out on others wasn’t going to be an acceptable response, so it just bobbed gently with a mild bit of menace in its tank, slowly strobing a bit of frustration.
Vailani: Any thoughts or questions?
Sadar: None. I just hope this proceeds smoothly, so we can get back to the wreck in time.
The human superstition of “jinxing things” might apply here, but Gnai was not the superstitious type. Nothing they said would impact the outcome of this mission, not even if they jinxed it.
But if things went topsy-turvy, it would certainly recall this moment. Maybe not as the definitive reason why, but there would be a nagging at the back of its mind…
Gnai: Agreed, sir.
Vailani: We should set up an Emergency Operations area in the evac zone, once we've got a precise location :: to Gnai :: How quickly can we make an assessment on location?
Gnai: It shouldn’t take long, sir. This will start looking at maps from the global network, and find you a location as soon as possible.
It pulled out its PADD to do just that, looking around for large, flat spaces outside of the designated radius, where they might be able to briefly hold everyone as they determined the proper course of action.
Sadar: All right, let’s-
She was cut off by her combadge shrieking briefly to life, before a crackling voice could be heard.
Silveira: =/\= Silv…. Doc…or Sada…puh…ease res… =/\=
Sadar: =/\= Sil-net? This is Doctor Sadar, come in. =/\=
Silveira: =/\= It’s ha…. To….derstand…ou. I …… hunch this …..older….until …. ge…..inside …. n’t be sure. …..nsidering …….. in. Ple…. Vise =/\=
Vailani: Response
As the other two tried to figure out what was going on with the comms, Gnai continued tapping away at its PADD - that was something it could fix, it could solve. A location for evac, and for the establishment of an Emergency Operations area for the Chief.
It could cross off a large section of the radius around the colony at least - the nearby cliffs that made up the coast were far too unstable and dangerous to move the population to. Into the fire and out of the frying pan, as it recalled humans saying.
Sadar: It must be the Ship, the same thing that’s been messing with the colony’s computers. =/\= Sil-net. You still aren’t clear. Stand by- =/\=
The Tellarite administrator cut her off, much like her combadge had just done, mildly distracting Gnai again. He seemed breathless, afraid even a little, panting as he came close. His compatriots from the colony didn’t seem much better, frankly, as far as Gnai was concerned as it looked up from its PADDwork, they looked even more weary and worried.
Bim Pend: Starfleet! Starfleet!
Sadar: Administrator? S-Sorry, we still haven’t-
Bim Pend: ::heaves for breath:: Never mind that, we’ve got a problem!
What now??? This didn’t already constitute a problem?
Gnai: More than evacuating the colony??
Vailani: Response
Bim Pend: Some of our kids are missing.
The news seemed to shake Lt. Sadar, as her eyes widened. Gnai’s tendrils grew more agitated in its tank as well, and a ripple of fear crossed its body.
Sadar: K-K-Kids? Wh-What do you mean!?
Female Colonist: My son and a couple of his friends are missing, we can’t find them! We think they might’ve gone into the old caves down the coast.
Sadar: Oh no.
The coast, the coast… It was looking right at it on its PADD. There was a long coastline, and the maps provided by the global data networks did little to highlight where caves might have been.
Gnai: ::turning its PADD around to show the coastline to the others:: There’s a good long stretch not far from here… but there’s no indication of where any caves might be.
Vailani/Sadar/Colonists?: Response
Gnai: From previous scans of the ground here… the bedrock is predominantly made up of carbonate sedimentary rocks, especially in the direction of the water. If these children are in the caves, there’s no telling how stable they might be…
If the tides at the coast (it presumed there would be tides, what with the planet having natural satellites) were strong enough, and the caves close enough to sealevel, the water could wash in while they were inside. It also could be actively eroding the bedrock still, causing unseen faults that could cast someone falling down into a sinkhole, or pit, with just a step.
Bringing all the gory details of exactly why the caves might be unstable up in front of the clearly anxious colonists seemed like far from the best idea though. It just hoped that its colleagues would understand the severity that it implied.
Vailani/Sadar/Colonists?: Response
Gnai: Sirs, the Galaktoboureko can likely transport the children out to safety, this thinks, if they can be found… but it might be difficult if they’re deep underground in an extensive cave system.
Vailani/Sadar/Colonists?: Response
Tags/TBC :)