Lieutenant JG Lystra - Dancing With Geysers
Rameses
((Runabout Little Crow - Peekaboo Descent)
The runabout dove down into the stratosphere in a several kilometer wide corkscrew flight path that gradually descended. Colorful clouds angry with electrical discharges surrounded the shuttle. The winds howled against the hull like the Little Crow was the ship of some Terran mythological figure who’d angered the gods. As they passed into the storm she felt the controls lurch against the wind and had to increase power to the dampers.
Perax: Well, we’ve confirmed there is an atmosphere at least. I hope no one gets motion sick. Hey, Doctor, do you have an anti-nausea medication in that hypospray?
Maramox: Yes; I think Cade knew someone might get sick. Is everyone doing alright?
As she piloted the runabout, having to trim some of their speed and angle slightly she realized she wasn’t prone to motion sickness. She wondered if it was because she was used to weightless environments and the occasional stellar phenomenon that caused a ship to jostle and shake.
Yirah: It is magnificent.
Lystra: Sorry. It’s rougher than I thought. ::she let out a grunt as the shuttle shook from a powerful sidedraft:: And this is yet another reason why planets suck. =/\= Little Crow to Iaonaiae. This windsheer is nasty. You might want to trim your angle of descent by a half degree and keep close. We’re taking the brunt of it, so see if you can ride our wake. =/\=
Thankfully, this wasn’t any worse than piloting a ship through a class five plasma storm. It wasn’t great, but she could manage.
Foster: =/\= I’m happy to follow your pretty little trail. =/\=
Lighting slammed into the runabout and Maramox yelped. Thankfully, runabouts were hardy craft.
Yirah: Are you alright?
Perax: Shields, took a twelve percent hit. There was a lot of power in that lightning bolt. I’m trying to clear up the communique from the Iaonaiae. There is some distortion, though it is less down here. My guess is the atmosphere is protecting the planet from some of the more extreme effects of the nebula, ::he turned to Yirah apologetically:: Sorry, it’s just my guess. I didn’t mean to cross into your field.
She nodded at the information but kept her focus on the path ahead, the sensors and keeping her controlled spiral descent from turning into an uncontrollable one.
Maramox: It sounds like a better guess than nothing. ::they tried to keep their voice even and turned to ask Yirah:: What do you think the actual science is?
Yirah: ::to Perax:: No need to apologize. I can't claim to know everything about all fields of science. :: he chuckled, then turned to Maraxmox :: Hard to say. We still don't know what the atmosphere is even made up of. Once we are able to start collecting data we'll be able to make more informed hypotheses.
Lystra: We should be collecting data now. The sensors are picking up everything so now’d be the best time to study this storm while we’re inside it because I don’t plan on coming back in until we leave. ::she grunted:: This feels almost as strong as the Red eye on Jupiter.
During her Academy days she might have flown a shuttle into the never ending storm on Jupiter as a dare. She’d only grazed the outer edge of it just enough for the shuttle to technically be inside of it but it was enough for her to get a series of lectures about shuttle flight safety. While the others tried not to vomit, or handle other tasks she was finally able to angle the nose of the shuttle down a bit more until the Little Crow dropped below the cloud cover. The dazzling display of lightning and aurora above them was stunning. It didn’t stop the storm from reaching them with lightning as they were inside the storm still, but only a few meters from the bottom edge of the clouds.
Perax: Six percent drop in shields, but we got some bleedthrough on that hit. One of our nacelles got struck. No serious damage. ::He focused on the screen ahead of him.::
Lystra: Good. We’ve passed through the worst of it. That storm is thick. Looks like it reaches down to a few thousand feet from the surface. If there are any mountains taller than them they must be a nightmare.
Maramox: We’re still flying. We can try and fix it when we land. ::they’ve given up on hiding the strain in their voice::
Yirah: Hey Maramox. Are you alright?
Now that they were through the brunt of the storm she dared a glance back towards Maramox to see how he was faring.
Maramox: I’m doing alright. It’s just nerves. The sound is what’s getting me more than anything.
Lystra: With a near global storm like this I wonder if that’ll be an issue on the ground. I can’t imagine it’s much quieter when we land. I’m seeing some heavy rainfall in areas too.
Perax: response
Yirah: Is there anything I can do to help you?
Lystra: I’ll try and keep her steady. But if the sound is the issue can we dampen it somehow?
Perax: response
Maramox: Know any good songs? Maybe we can sing the rest of our way down.
All she could think of at that moment was Terran sea shanties for some reason and chuckled.
Lystra: Know any good sea shanties?
Yirah/Perax: Response
The Little Crow slowly emerged from the bottom of the storm, out of the clouds to give them their first view of the surface of this unknown, nebula concealed world. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as angry as she expected. The Boslic had half expected them to find it was a class E world or something but instead it seemed to be class M, or O. There was vegetation or what looked like it from up here.
As if signalling that they weren’t beyond its influence the storm disgorged another lightning bolt at the Little Crow, which caused it to jostle again. She kept their flight level but descended another few hundred feet just as a precaution to wait for Cade’s shuttle to join them.
Maramox: Thank-you. Anything I can do for you all?
She nodded.
Lystra: We’ve made it through the storm so probably scanning everything? I’ll try and see if I can find a suitable place to land. But first. ::She keyed the comm again:: =/\= Little Crow to Iaonaiae. We made it through the storm. You still with us? =/\=
Foster: =/\= Response =/\=
Yirah/Perax/Maramox: Response
She slowed the runabout to cruising speed since it seemed like they’d descended near a range of mountains. Some of which did in fact poke up into the storm.
Lystra: =/\= Looks like we’re a few degrees north of the equatorial range. Since we got down here first we’ve got dibs on the Northern Hemisphere. How about you all take the South? =/\=
Foster: =/\= Response =/\=
Yirah/Perax/Maramox: Response
Lystra glanced back at her colleagues with a smile. Ahead of them a thick dark wall signalled an intense rainfall for several miles.
Lystra: Before we land, I can make a single circumnavigation around the hemisphere at altitude so you all can get aerial readings?
Yirah/Perax/Maramox: Response
The Boslic looked forward again and dropped their altitude by a thousand feet so they’d have some distance from the storm. Given the quantity of ground strikes visible around them it wasn’t going to keep them completely safe from getting hit again, especially with their shields being so attractive but she hoped it would lessen the chance. It had also grown a little quieter as the runabout passed over some of the mountains, at least until it flew into the sheet of rain ahead. A proximity alert sounded abruptly and the dark shape of a mountain peak appeared through the rain.
Lystra: Nope!
The Little Crow tipped down and to the port abruptly as she put them into a dive to avoid the mountain. As they picked up speed the runabout burst from the rainstorm at low altitude almost following the angle of the mountain range’s ascent, another lightning bolt hit their shields. Before them was a stunning valley of much flatter terrain but seemed to be pock marked as if it had been subjected to meteor impacts. However, as she flew them down within meters of the valley floor to level off and throttled back hard for a few seconds. She grit her teeth. It was a rougher descent than she wanted for Maramox’s sake.
Yirah/Perax/Maramox: Response
Lystra: Sorry, stupid mountain came out of nowhere. Wait…what do you mean ‘sudden increase in thermal readings’?
Yirah/Perax/Maramox: Response
As if to accompany the explanation alerts sounds all across her console a moment before a towering column of superheated water burst from one of those holes in the ground around them. They geyser eruption made her have to roll the runabout to starboard, briefly causing her hair to stick straight up from the momentary inversion.
No sooner had she righted their shuttle when the valley around them became equal parts beautiful and hazardous as one after another or sometimes two or three geysers in this valley of steam shot towards the sky. She then realized that the valley was filled with hundreds of geysers and they were all going off in a chain.
Lystra’s digits danced across the helm controls, the Little Crow bobbed, turned, banked and weaved back and forth between the geysers as if they were on some sort of Academy pilot training course. Sometimes nearly grazing the ground with their shields, or rolling through the topmost spray of water before she flew the runabout back down level before the next one went off. An uncontrolled peel of laughter escaped her as she flew their runabout through the geysers. Some sprayed several hundred feet into the air if she had to guess.
Lystra: Woohoo! Now this is fun! ::she called out:: Hang on, I’m going to get us through this valley then swing around again. I think I saw a large flat spot between some hot springs back there, can you confirm Yirah?
Yirah/Perax/Maramox: Response
[tbc/tags]
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Lieutenant JG Lystra
Tactical/Security Officer
USS Constitution-B NCC-9012-B
Writer ID: A239410TR0