1Lt. Ithri Sh'shelor - "I Spy With My Little Eye"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Runabout Sower, High Orbit Around Argratha ))
Down on the planet, their teams searched for answers, but up in space, Ithri had merely found more questions. Who was out in that desert and why? As she looked out the view screen, she saw the shuttle’s position adjust as O’Reilly set them on a course so they could be more directly overhead the place in the desert, but not inside the atmosphere. Their primary mission was to provide support to their teams, and they would not abandon their post, but if one went looking out there, that position would also allow a swifter response if they needed aid. For now, however, they still sought to get more information.
Sh’shelor: Crewman Lohkina, check in with anyone who has not yet. O’Reilly, initiate scans. Let us see if we can see.
Lohkina answered by doing as requested, and Ithri kept a look out for external factors that could pose a threat to their ship. Fortunately, nothing presented itself, but she would not be a good officer if she let her guard down. Things could change very quickly. O’Reilly manoeuvred
the vessel smoothly agilely and soon they were over the portion of the desert where the beams had transported something.
O’Reilly: Passive scans aren’t showing much, there’s some type of interference in that region (beat) I’m working on it.
Lohkina: Might as well go to active scans. I can't imagine that anyone down below doesn't know we're here.
Sh’shelor: I agree.
Ithri nodded, and immediately switched from passive to active scans, though that didn’t reveal much of anything more. The corners of the Andorian’s lips turned down slightly, but it was her antennas' motion that gave a clearer indication of her disappointment.
O’Reilly: What if we use a good old optical array, aka our eyes? (beat) Sorry (waving his hands in front of him) I mean, a good old telescope? The interference seems to be blocking our scanners, but visually, it’s a clear sky day down there, why can’t we just take a look?
Lohkina: Coming right up. I'm shunting a variable magnification to the cockpit viewports. Zoom controls should be coming up on your consoles now.
Sh’shelor: That is good. Yes, let us do it. And Lohkina was already on it. In record time, the woman had implemented a magnification and they could see down to the ground. With a glance, she silently communicated her approval to the other woman.
O’Reilly: Well, see, the ones I’m thinking of didn’t rely on electrical sensors, but rather just bending and magnifying light.
Lohkina: Quaint! (a grin) These are more advanced, but if you want an old-fashioned looking-glass or what have you, the replicator should function just fine.
Quaint was not a word with which Ithri was familiar, and since her translator was sent to Standard, it did not give her the meaning in Andorian. Quietly, without saying a word to the others, she quickly looked it up. Old-fashioned and charming. Yes, O’Reilly’s suggestion was old fashioned, but if all else failed, it was a great way to do what they needed.
Sh’shelor: We use what we have while we have it.
Her eyes shifted back to O’Reilly.
Sh’shelor: But this is something to…how do humans say? Keep in our pockets?
Lohkina pulled up a magnified view and input a grid over. That was good, for it would help isolate areas in the desert. Linking Lohkina’s information in her console, Ithri did the same, extended the grid, and set about examining a different part of the desert.
Lohkina: Nothing really jumps out at me. How about you, Lieutenant? Or you, Lieutenant?
Sh’shelor: Not as of yet. We should keep looking.
O'Reilly: Responses
Nodding, Ithri let the others work. The computer kept track of the areas that she studied so the other two Meanwhile, Lohkina checked to see if the away teams had responded yet. They weren't on a clock by any means, and as she'd thought in reference to Woolheater and T'Korva's team, they had no need to check in regularly -- but she'd rather that they did. However, her attention was drawn back to the magnified view by the lieutenants a few moments later.
Lohkina: Oh? (beat) Pulling up grid 573 by 39 now.
Sh’shelor: Moving to 574 by 40.
Together, they could cover the entire area far more quickly than alone. Yet, as Ithri reviewed the desert, all she saw was sand.
Sh’shelor: 574 by 41.
Again, it was nothing. Nothing but sand that stretched as far as they eye could see from a close up perspective, and just a square of sand from one further away. Ithri shifted to the next spot. And then…
Sh’shelor: There is something.
O'Reilly: Responses
Lohkina: What do you see?
Sh’shelor: 574 by 42. Computer, increase magnification and clarify picture.
Something about what she said sounded funny to Ithri’s ears. Had she used the proper Standard grammar? Uncertain, she simply moved on. Grammar was all well and good, but the computer’s response indicated it understood her, so she didn’t worry about it.
Lohkina/O'Reilly: Responses
With three people scouring the surface using visuals rather than their usual scanners, their search had certainly taken a little longer, but it was not in vain. Somewhere, someone had transported something into that desert. Because of the drug problem down on Argrathi, they could certainly guess what it was, by why out in the desert? Others had gone right into populated areas, save for that single one. Ithri didn’t understand it, but that was the point of their investigation, wasn’t it? As they looked at the portion of the grid, the computer’s magnification showed the tops of three somethings in the sand. From their perspective, they didn’t look like much. Tapping at the controls, Ithri got an estimated size of them. What were tehy? Towers? Masts? That was unclear, and without scanners able to penetrate the surface, they had to make do with visuals.
Sh’shelor: What is that?
Lohkina/O'Reilly: Responses
--1Lt. Ithri Sh'shelor
Marine Intelligence
USS Octavia E. Butler
M239008AD0
