((Main Shuttlebay, Deck 11, USS Artemis))
The procured equipment with her, Jovenan waited for her the three other ensigns to arrive to the main shuttlebay on the morning of their trekking day. Eventually, she could see the others walking towards her with their backpacks on their backs.
Jovenan: Hello! Are we ready to leave?
Kader: Good morning. I can't wait. :: he put his pack on the deck and looked over the camping equipment Ensign Jovenan had procured, mentally picturing if they could fit in the vessel he procured :: Is this everything?
Lorana: Hi!
Jovenan looked as Ensign Lorana lowered some more equipment to the pile Jovenan had brought with her. She recognized them as test kits, which made sense considering Lorana had said yesterday she wanted to take samples with her. At least the geologist was excited about the trip.
Savel: Response
Jovenan: So, which shuttle is ours?
Kader took a look on the PADD before picking his portion of the gear. Kader had booked them the shuttle, so he would obviously lead the way to it. Each of them followed his example and readied the stuff for carrying.
Kader: Perfect. It's right up to the end, let's go!
Lorana: :: to Jovenan :: Someone's keen to get behind the wheel.
Jovenan: Ha-ha, can’t blame them!
Savel: Response
Kader led the way across the shuttlebay to their selected vessel. Passing large type 11 shuttlecrafts and heavy transports, with the enormous runabout looming on the background, they found their way to a shuttlepod. Jovenan couldn’t help but raise her eyebrow lightly upon seeing the vehicle.
Kader: There it is, the type 18. Oh don't let the size fool you, it's bigger on the inside. No transporter or replicator. Perfect for camping. And Savel, you're gonna love this, :: he taped the nacelle with the tip of his foot :: armored nacelle pods! No earthmover is going to break those I'll tell you that much.
Lorana: It's going to be a tight squeeze.
Certainly. The pod was taller than Jovenan, which was given considering her miniscule size, but this was a spaceworthy craft. It was barely larger than standard human landcraft centuries ago. Jovenan didn’t remember the exact specifications of all shuttlecrafts, but she was fairly certain this pod didn’t have warp engine, not that they were going to need one on their journey down to the planet.
Jovenan: At long as it can take us to the planet and back up…
Savel: Response
Kader opened the hatch and climbed in. Judging from Jovenan’s perspective, the interior seemed just the size the exterior implied.
Kader: :: lightheartedly:: Come in and I'll give you the grand tour, watch your head.
Jovenan dropped her stuff on the floor before diving in the shuttlepod. None of them could stand in straight, but there were sufficient seats for them all: two by the controls, four in the back. That was enough for them, although with backpacks they might need to consider how to make all of it fit.
Savel: Response
Jovenan: I think it’s enough. At least we don’t need to beam down to the edges of the area.
Lorana: Yeah, it saves us having to hike a full day. I seen the planned landing site. If we go along the ridge during the day, then grapple down into the canyon, we may have a better chance of sighting Savel's scaled monarch?
Lorana sent them the route she had planned for them. Following the trail drawn onto the map, Jovenan nodded at her chosen route. It took them to the places Jovenan wanted to check out. She was lucky she didn’t need to insist on changing the route to better fit her desired locations.
Savel/Kader: Response
Jovenan: Let’s load up the shuttle, then. We should leave soon to get as many hours of light as possible.
Lorana: That's what I thought too. Will we begin our inventory before we load the shuttle? I just want to make sure we have everything we need?
Jovenan nodded.
Jovenan: Okay. Did you all take extra clothes, food, and water? I've got us some small but equally important stuff here as well, I have here, umm, ::points at objects:: medkits, a toolkit, firestarters, a water purifier, an axe and a small shovel, toilet paper, wipes, a lamp for each of us, some rope and hooks, binoculars, map and compass in case the kelbonite blocks our navigation, a signal booster that may or may not be enough to send an emergency message… Basic stuff for hiking, most of them probably only needed in emergencies.
Jovenan directed each of them pick a share of the shared items to their packs. It added some more weight to them, which might slow them down in the end, but it was better to prepare for emergencies in the inaccessible part of the nature.
Lorana/Savel/Kader: Response
Jovenan: We have everything we need now? Good, now let’s start loading up the shuttle, then.
They shoved their backpacks to the small shuttlepod, until all the gear was taking the space within. The full backpacks took a lot of space, but they managed to make it all fit. Sadly, they were all still outside.
Jovenan: No, wait. That doesn’t work. Let’s take it all out, then Kader, go sit by the pilot’s controls. Somebody should go sit next to you, and two of us and the bags are in the rear.
They rearraigned the gear and pushed themselves in. It took them a bit of work to get the hatch closed, but when that was done, they were all on their seats and the gear on the floor and the free seats.
Lorana/Savel/Kader: Response
Jovenan: Okay, done. Now just let’s get going so we can get out of here.
Lorana/Savel/Kader: Response
TAG/TBC
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Ensign Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11