Ensign Maezel Fenn – Frying Pans And Fires
just_pain...@outlook.com
(( Past the Outer Marker, Gateside Dimension ))
The officers had arrived at the structure though hadn’t yet landed the shuttle and disembarked. They’d observed a dark coloured building
with huge spires strutting into the sky with the whole thing sitting atop a cliff edge. Strangely, a landing pad had been added to the structure and a couple of unexpected Kobliad life signs had been detected.
Fenn: Shall I begin descent or would you like to circle around this thing a little Commander?
Kovar: I show the Kobliads deep within the facility. We will have a walk ahead of us. Though, fortunately, it seems that the environmental systems may still be active.
Marshall: Let's hook once around. I want a good look at it before we commit to anything so unhinged as landing there.
With a nod to acknowledge the order, Maezel brought the shuttle on a starboard heading, planning to loop around the structure. She
slowed the shuttle’s speed to 40kph to give the team ample time to observe. Stealing a glance through the viewport, she noticed the structure seemed to be in a remarkably well-kept condition. It begged the question of who maintained it, which led to her wondering if
the Kobliad life signs had something to do with that or if they were part of the Kobliad science expedition.
Kovar: I find the landing pad to be most curious. One would think that it would be constructed of the same material as this facility. Is it possible that the scientists did not build it, but merely discovered it already here?
Marshall: That's an excellent question and I'd very much like an answer to it before we set
this thing down. What's it looking like it's made from?
Fenn: ::running a molecular scan on the building:: Sensors scans are inconclusive, Commander. There are elements in the construction material the computer can’t identify and but there’s also elements known to us in our dimension.
Marshall: So either the scientists found it already here and had the presence of mind to put a landing
pad on it, or someone else put it there for reasons we don't currently understand and probably won't like when we do. ::Exhaling a breath, she nodded to Fenn.:: Alright Maezel, take us in on a slow approach. With any luck, we'll get a chance to have a look
outside before something tries a boarding manoeuvre.
Maezel agreed that looking around unmolested would not only be ideal but also preferred. She’d already
had her fill of the flora and fauna on Gibaria Outpost and had no desire to confront it again. Considering where they currently were though, she accepted that she may not have much choice in the matter. She took a breath and forced herself to focus on landing
the shuttle safely. The words of her Uncle Cimm sounded in her mind - ‘One thing at a time Maezel. Finish it properly, then move on to the next’.
Fenn: Aye, Commander.
Kovar: Response
Marshall: Apart from the wounded scientist and the other life sign, are we picking up on anything else?
Fenn: Nothing else showing on my sensors, Commander.
Kovar: Response
Slowing the shuttle down to 10kph on the final approach to the landing pad, Maezel leveled out the
shuttle and extended the landing struts. A quick scan of the landing area showed it to be solid enough and capable of holding the weight of the shuttle. She gently set the shuttle down, the telltale, gentle hiss of the landing struts’ hydraulics signalling a
textbook landing.
Now on the ground, Maezel knew the next step was essentially a jump out frying pan and into the fire.
At least inside the shuttle, the hull had been an armoured barrier between her team and the outside. Anxiety snaked its way up through her chest as she rose from the pilot’s chair and grabbed her EVA style phaser rifle before rejoining the others aft as the
engines purred progressively softer, powering down.
Marshall: Right, last check. We need suits sealed, weapons ready, and a resonator sweep before that
hatch opens. We go in, we find what's in there, complete the objective, and we book it out of here. Any questions?
Fenn: ::checking her suit and weapons:: No questions, Commander.
Kovar: Response
With a final glance around the group, Maezel opened the shuttle’s side hatch. Red light flooded the
shuttle with stronger hues now the viewport filters weren’t compensating for them. Maezel shielded her eyes with her hand for a second, letting them adjust to the new environment before taking point and stepping out onto the landing platform. Her phaser rifle kept
taut against her chest; her elbows were glued to her sides as her shoulders tensed.
(( Mysterious Structure, Gateside Dimension ))
Fenn: ::looking up at the towering spires:: This may take a while to search...
Kovar / Marshall: Response
From the air, the structure had seemed huge. Now on the ground, Maezel felt like a grain of sand in comparison. It
seemed to her that whoever had built this structure clearly had knowledge of some advanced construction techniques. She wondered at the purpose of the structure which, according to her tricorder, stood at an incredible two hundred meters tall.
She moved to the nearby doorway connected to the landing pad. Judging from the crimson lights bordering each corner of the door, Maezel guessed it was locked. The fact the door hadn’t automatically opened for her might also have been a bit of a giveaway. She tried tapping at what looked like a control panel to the right of the doorway – no response.
Fenn: Locked...
Kovar / Marshall: Response