[END OF ACT 2] Lt. JG. Gnai - It Feels Wrong To Leave You…
Lich
(( Cockpit of the USS Atlas - Galaris System ))
After the chaos of the planet, taking a shuttle across the system, despite initial hiccups, had allowed Gnai to relax… if only slightly.
Gnai: Is there any word from the Artemis on further narrowing down the site of transmissions?
Vailani: Not yet. They're focusing on finding out the evidence on Galaris IV. Focus on the signal and who's sending it.
Silveira: We will find it soon enough.
Gnai: Aye, sir.
Sadar: Wh-What about-
Vailani: We have it. It's riding the thermal noise floor. We were filtering it out. The scans weren't configured to register it as significant. It takes a lot of work to maintain a frequency on this level.
And the shuttle’s sensors weren’t likely as strong as the Artemis’, even on a closer pass like they were making. But with their sensors refocused on the narrow band of frequencies, it was easier to track their source, as the ship slowly but surely honed in.
Vailani: Let's see where it takes us.
Ahead of them, the moon of one of the other planets in the system came into view.
Vailani: What are we looking at?
There was some sort of structure on the moon, more evident the closer they got, something built there, rather than naturally formed, no matter how well-disguised it might be at first glance.
Silveira: I am not sure… A moon base?
Sadar: That’s strange. Neither the Grunden nor the Kobyar governments informed us of any extraterrestrial installations. ::rose from her seat to join Vai-net at her console:: And yet... It does look Kydonian in design.
Gnai: That’s worrisome…
Vailani: Okay.
Vailani: Silveira, Sadar and Bergmen with me to the compound. Gnai, I need you to monitor our progress and beam us out of any trouble.
Gnai bobbed in its tank, mildly thankful that it wasn’t going to be ordered down with them into what was (most likely) going to be something dangerous. It was never easy with Starfleet.
Silveira: Very well Lieutenant. Putting us in orbit and setting up auto pilot, so Lieutenant Gnai doesn’t need to worry about piloting… Can anyone get the transport coordinates?
Gnai: Thank you, Lieutenant Silveira.
Silveira: I know we are on a peaceful and fact finding mission, but I recommend carrying a phaser. ::he smiled at Sada:: At least with those that feel comfortable with it.
Definitely glad not to be going down. Gnai had no desire to carry a phaser, and less desire to be stuck in a situation where it might actually want to be carrying one.
Vailani: :: pointedly :: I'd have preferred we were all armed :: to Gila :: But I won't make it an order. Just stay close to Lt Silveira.
Gnai: Stay safe, sirs.
Silveira: It’s the umbrella theory, it's best to have one and not need it, than need one and not have it.
With that… ominous message, Gnai fired up the transporter beam, and watched its shipmates disappear into the ether, materializing somewhere unseen below. It was now alone aboard the shuttle, unsure of what exactly to do.
There was a slight hum from the various parts of the shuttle, filling the air with subtle vibrations that Gnai had never really focused on until this exact second. Usually there were other things to take its attention away, generally in the form of colleagues and shipmates talking to it. Monitoring their progress wasn’t hard (not enough to completely steal its attention from the interesting hums), not with the sensors pointed exactly at the compound, tracking the life signs and vital statistics of the officers down there.
They were moving slowly, as Gnai would have presumed they would, with caution. Strangely, though, it caught a flash on the screen. Just a little blip, another lifesign spotted briefly nearby to the officers. That was… concerning, as well as weird. Gnai leaned in closer, as if that would make it understand what was going on better.
Gnai: =/\= Lieutenant Gnai to Away Team… =/\=
As soon as it had tapped the combadge though, it knew that something was amiss. There was no pleasant chirp to signal a line opening, just a dull click. It tried again, to no avail. Before it could try a third time, there was a veritable flood of signals on the display in front of it, far more lifesigns than before.
This was bad. No matter what was going on, they needed to get out of there. Gnai rushed to the transporter console, tapping away to try and beam them up, only to find that something was jamming the transporter signal as well as the communications with the base. Even worse!! Gnai was here, alone, staring down at a base where its friends were trapped with who-knew-how-many-(likely)-hostile-lifeforms??
It rushed back to the communications console, trying to hail the ship.
Gnai: =/\= Lieutenant Gnai to bridge! Are you reading this? =/\=
Udesky: =/\= Lieutenant Udesky here, yes, we can read you, shuttle Atlas. =/\=
Finally, something was going right.
Gnai: =/\= The away team… they may have been taken prisoner! Communications are down, and the transporter is being jammed! =/\=
Udesky: =/\= I’ll pass that along to the Captain, ASAP. What about the shuttle, has it been detected yet? =/\=
Gnai checked the console ahead of it. There were no active scans from the base directed at the Atlas, but that didn’t mean that potential passive sensors hadn’t picked up on the heat or engine signals given off by it… The Atlas wasn’t exactly in “stealth mode”, if such a thing existed.
Gnai: =/\= This… isn’t certain, but this also doesn’t want to risk letting a Starfleet shuttle fall into the hands of… whoever might be down there. ::long beat:: Please inform the Captain that this will be returning to the Artemis immediately. =/\=
Udesky: =/\= Will do. =/\=
It hated to have to leave its friends and colleagues down there, trapped by whoever it was, but it was one single Galadoran, and one that had minimal phaser experience (and even less desire to use one). It would be absolutely pointless for it to attempt a rescue, so this wasn’t cowardice. Returning to the ship was a perfectly logical course of action. Even if it did still feel horrible piloting the shuttle away from the moon, and back towards the Artemis.
End of Act II for Gnai :)
((OOC - thanks for the patience this month! Sorry if this is short/not-as-up-to-par, I wanted to get something out even if I was bone-tired today!))