LT Gila Sadar - It All Comes Down
LT Gila Sadar
(( Near the Western Wing - Klingon Prison Ruins, Wallace Forest ))
It was like being transported back in time, in more ways than one. Of course, Gila had experienced actual time travel at this point in her life; not an experience she’d recommend anyone, particularly at the hands of CloQ. Now, however, as she and the two Ensigns approached the Klingon ruins, she felt simultaneously taken back to an era in this planet’s history where unknown individuals led lives, where the landscape must’ve looked very different, while also getting resurging sensations that reminded her of when she was but an impressionable student of archaeology back in Pozaron.
Tall stone walls, broken, rounded edges being clear evidence of the amount of time since they had first been risen, crooked tan teeth gnawing through the forest around them. Gila could look in any direction forwards and only see more and more of these tan structures in various degrees of disrepair and violent upheaval. The forest was retaking the ruins, vines and greenery reclaiming any space that it was able to conquer, sometimes in spite of gravity itself, which only furthered the sensation of stepping into an area untouched by civilization for untold eons.
Sadar: We’re here... The scale of this place…
Imril: ::Nodding in shared awe:: The First Empire must have had a lot of political dissidents.
Bergmen: Or crime. ::shrugs shoulders:: Probably both.
A valid presumption, considering the generally bloody nature of Klingon history. Leading the two Ensigns closer to the nearest wall, Gila indicated the area directly in front of them and to the west-northwest.
Sadar: We’ll comb through our wing in a methodical fashion. Don’t separate. Scorpionmoles may be burrowing animals, but we have no assurances they don’t venture above ground. And if you locate a room with sub-par structural integrity, mark it on the map, but do not enter. The Griffin isn’t in a position to beam you out while it’s doing the echo survey.
Imril: Aye, Doctor. Should we begin with a walk along the outer wall? We can get a better feel for how big this part of the ruin is, and mark out the safest places to enter from.
Bergmen: Understood, m-doctor. I would cover rather more ground, to be sure. In everyone's sight, of course.
Gila nodded her agreement, prompting both Ensigns to whip out their tricorders to start their thorough combing. She took a few seconds to check on their work progress, and was pleased to see that they split up into a reasonable distance from each other, progressing slowly so as to allow themselves significant time to analyze their findings. She pulled out her own tricorder, as she carefully stepped under a crumbling arch, being careful to not disturb anything. Even if a structure looked sound and firmly kept in place by other pieces of the ruin, she had plenty of experience with an errant misstep causing the destruction of priceless archaeological finds.
While the three of them weren’t always in direct eyesight of each other, their progress into the actual ruins itself often brought them past sections of wall or building that were so degraded as to offer them passing glances at each other.
Bergmen: Wow, that bird, he’s beautiful! Did anyone have a chance to scan him properly?
Gila had been busy with scanning a part of a broken down cornerstone, establishing structural integrity of a smaller building that - contextually - could have been a smaller storage facility, or perhaps a hygiene installation, so she had - frankly - been unable to see the bird in question. This marked the second time in a short time that Ensign Bergmen had pointed out a feathered animal with interest, and Gila blinked curiously.
oO Perhaps Ensign Bergmen has a hidden passion for ornithology? Oo
Imril: I wonder if our feathered friends can act as scorpionmole detectors?
The suggestion that drifted towards them from Ensign Imril, who sounded as though they were on the other side of a wall from Gila.
Bergmen: Can be. Non-predatory species often develop six senses of predators, as a protective mechanism.
Sadar: I doubt it’s a safety measure that can be applied if we enter any structures, but it wouldn’t hurt to consider it while we’re above ground.
The work progressed smoothly from then, with many minutes passing as the trio of Officers combed their way through the prison, proceeding through the western wing, which - as best as Gila could tell - seemed to be mostly miscellaneous administrative buildings. Thus far, they’d encountered no large open areas, and no cells, both of which seemed rather significant absences from what was supposed to be a prison complex.
And if this was the administrative area, then surely they had the best chance at finding any significant documents or technology left behind. If only they could find an intact storage-
Bergmen: I think I found something!
Ensign Bergmen’s excitable voice immediately summoned Gila’s attention, as she started moving in the direction of his tricorder signal, weaving through crumbling ruins with all the caution of a practiced coward. No one knew better how to avoid bumping into things than someone afraid that that ‘thing’ would turn out hazardous to her peace and quiet.
Imril: Response
Once Gila and Ensign Imril reached Ensign Bergmen, he was still rechecking his tricorder readings, positioned by a crumbling watchtower. From the way he waved his tricorder about, however, it was immediately apparent that his interest hadn’t been piqued by the magnificent pile of rubble, but rather something else close by.
Bergmen: Yes, YES! Doctor! I found underground space under this ruin! It’s probably a corridor going that way!
Ensign Bergmen pointed to a somewhat intact structure - another structure similar in general shape language to barracks or similar administrative buildings. What was most significant was that this building, apart from the caved-in top floor and the greenery invading its boundaries, seemed perfectly safe to enter. At least at first glance.
Sadar: Good job, Ensign. Keep those readings handy. We don’t want to get lost underground. ::to Imril:: Ensign Imril, how is the structural integrity of this area? Would it be safe to go inside?
Imril/Bergmen: Response
Gila nodded, an undeniable spark of interest in her expression. Gila’s incapability to bluff wasn’t exactly helping that whole ‘respected senior officer’-thing, as she seemed positively giddy (comparatively, for her) at the prospect.
Sadar: Sounds good. Let’s head in. Make sure to have your tricorders scanning for signs of wildlife. We don’t want to be cornered by any scorpionmoles down there.
Imril/Bergmen: Response
((Western Watch Ruins - Klingon Prison Ruins, Wallace Forest))
Once the trio were ready, they breached the entrance of the barracks. The first room they entered wasn’t ‘dark’, thanks to the windows and minor cracks in the walls letting in sunlight, but once they found the entrance to that underground hallway that Ensign Bergmen mentioned, that would change.
Sadar: Remember, we still need to scan this building to establish a likely function. Be thorough while we search for a way to access the underground corridor.
With that order given, Gila moved through a broken door frame further in, her tricorder sweeping the area around her in practiced fashions. Unfortunately, whatever had once been in here had been stripped long ago, cleared out so methodically, it was clear that this facility hadn’t been abandoned in a hurry, nor suddenly sunk below the earth in a cataclysmic event. Rather, the First Empire must have abandoned it quite on purpose.
That didn’t speak well for their chances at finding any old tech, but Gila wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Thoroughly searching through the floor, Gila carefully moved aside broken material - most of it clearly sediment from when the ruin was still underground - until her fingers eventually caught onto the rim of something. She focused her digging in that area of the room for a few moments, before she finally got to the actual floor below, and saw it.
Sadar: ::loud:: I found a hatch.
Imril/Bergmen: Response
TAGs/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1