Ensign S'jenes - Riders of the Storm
James hassell
(Planet Peekaboo, Southern Hemisphere, near Iaonaiae Runabout)
S’Jenes stood near the rise with his tricorder active, monitoring the steady geothermal readings beneath his feet. The air remained stable, warm, and breathable, with distant storms providing intermittent interference to both sensors and comms. He remained focused on the data and the team’s positions, alert but composed as the situation continued to develop.
S’Jenes: For completeness, atmospheric particulates remain unchanged at this elevation. No increase in toxic compounds. ::a pause, dry:: The planet has not objected to our presence up here. Yet. Should we attempt to contact the other runabout? Perhaps they are experiencing similar… enthusiasm.
Foster/Mec: Response
Before any reply could fully form, the comm unit on S'Jenes shirt crackled sharply, static washing over the channel in uneven waves. He straightened slightly, one hand already lifting to the device while the other steadied his tricorder against a gust of heated air rolling upslope.
Perax: =/\= Perax to Doctor Foster, Have you ever been to Gloucester in a shower of rain? =/\=
S'Jenes: Ensign Mec, what can we do to increase the signal on that transmission?
Mec: Response
S’Jenes angled the comm unit, adjusting its orientation and glancing at the interference readings scrolling across his display. The signal strength fluctuated wildly, consistent with the ionic disturbance they’d been tracking since descent.
Foster: =/\= Response =/\=
S'jenes: =/\= We seem to have an abundance of static in regards to your signal, suggestions to clear it? =/\=
Perax: =/\= If you set up your signal enhancer and lock onto this signal, we might eliminate the static. =/\=
As the transmission continued, S’Jenes knelt, setting his tricorder against a rock outcrop to free one hand for fine-tuning the comm filter. His expression remained neutral, though the faintest crease appeared between his brows—concentration, not concern.
Foster: =/\= Response =/\=
Lystra: =/\= Oh, you know the usual. Getting stampeded by wildlife and dodging lightning bolts. This place is terrible. We’ve found some fauna has Chrondite in their physiology, bioluminescence and we think they use the metal in their antlers as lightning rods for protection or possibly a source of energy? What about you guys? =/\=
S’Jenes’ fingers paused briefly over the controls at the mention of chrondite. He logged the detail mentally, cross-referencing it against the mineral anomalies already catalogued. The idea of conductive fauna fit disturbingly well with the planet’s apparent balance of energy distribution.
Yirah: =/\= I have to disagree with Lystra’s assessment that this place is terrible. =/\=
S’Jenes rose smoothly to his feet, eyes tracking the horizon while his tricorder continued its passive scan. The violet sky pulsed faintly with distant lightning, each flash reflected in the metallic edges of his equipment.
Foster/Mec: =/\= Response =/\=
Perax: Geyser surfing? I’m not that adventurous
S’Jenes exhaled softly through his nose...an almost-smile by Vulcan standards...while marking the location of the earlier vent in his map overlay.
Yirah: =/\= We landed in a valley full of geysers. We haven't been able to get a clear read on atmospheric composition, but during our descent, even before the geyser field, we did pick up on high amounts of water vapour and what could be volcanic ash or perhaps a major dust storm. =/\=
S’Jenes glanced down at his own atmospheric data, confirming the discrepancy between elevations. The variation suggested a highly stratified environment—engineered, or at least unusually cooperative.
S'jenes: =/\= From here, earlier tests showed oxygen at 20.9 percent, nitrogen at 78 percent, argon at 0.9 percent. Trace elements include neon, methane at negligible levels, and elevated water vapor consistent with regional storm activity, perhaps cross referencing our findings may answer some of your phenomena as well. =/\=
Foster/Mec: =/\=Response=/\=
Lystra: =/\= Is it recent or more like a ruin? In either case should we treat this like a Prime Directive, First Contact situation? =/\=
S’Jenes shifted his weight, boots steady on the firm ground of the hilltop, and adjusted the tricorder’s sensor focus to long-range passive mode. Possible structures—but the absence of them in sight in itself was beginning to feel conspicuous.
Foster/Mec: =/\=Response=/\=
S'Jenes: =/\= We have been experiencing tectonic fluctuations in intervals here, seemingly timed intervals =/\=
Yirah: =/\= And you're sure that these fluctuations couldn't have been organic? =/\=
The question gave S’Jenes pause. He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he reviewed the rhythmic consistency of the geothermal releases. Organic systems could mimic patterns—but this degree of restraint suggested intent, or at least design.
S'Jenes: =/\= In theory, they could be. Rerouting power from my tricorder to attempt to stabilize our signal =/\=
Foster/Mec: =/\=Response=/\=
S’Jenes tapped twice against the side of the comm unit, rerouting a fraction of power from his tricorder to stabilize the signal. The static eased, marginally.
Foster/Mec: =/\=Response=/\=
Lystra: =/\= We just tried. We were able to get a very garbled response from the ship. I’m not sure we’re going to get better than that audibly, but I suggested we could try narrow band data bursts to see if that might work. Or, if you guys have a signal enhancer maybe we could link them together and focus on the same coordinates? =/\=
Foster/Mec: =/\= Response =/\=
Perax: =/\= Wait! Did you say you dropped a beacon probe in orbit on the edge of the atmosphere? We might be able to use it as a signal repeater. It will still be distorted, but we might get more of their message. =/\=
S’Jenes’ gaze lifted instinctively toward the sky, as though he might glimpse the beacon itself through the cloud cover. He marked the orbital vector mentally, already considering how the planet’s interference fields might be bending the signal.
S'Jenes: =/\=The planet's storms may be bending the signal from the beacon =/\=
Foster/Mec: =/\= Response =/\=
Perax: =/\= Perax to Constitution, we are at N36°14’ by W16°7’. We have discovered geothermal heat sources and an interesting life form that has bioluminescence and lightning rod antlers. The weather is horrible. Could you point us in the direction of a sunny beach? Perax out. =/\=
S’Jenes’ mouth twitched almost imperceptibly at that. Humor, he had found, was an effective coping mechanism among humans...and apparently Denobulans and Vulcans-by-proxy as well.
Foster: =/\= Response =/\=
Yirah: =/\= But about these fluctuations you all picked up on. Have you seen anything else that might suggest intelligent life? =/\=
S’Jenes lowered his tricorder slightly, eyes thoughtful as he reviewed the data again...=/\=the balance, the timing, the restraint. No signals to indicate it, but the planet seems to respond… politely, almost as if it were designed to host life. =/\=
Foster/Mec: =/\= Response =/\=
Yirah: =/\= Just let us know if you find anything else. =/\=
Foster/Mec: =/\= Response =/\=
As the channel quieted, S’Jenes remained still for a moment longer, listening not to the comms but to the planet itself—the low hum beneath his boots, the distant thunder, the measured release of heat below. He glanced once more at his tricorder, then toward Foster, clearly prepared to continue… cautiously.