LT JG Josh Herrick: Is anyone out there?
Mark P
(( Landing Site, Alpha Brenkelvi II ))
Josh had successfully transferred what little belongings he had from his home on Deck 8 to his new lodging up on Deck 4, a poster, a few books, and a whole lot of space. As the team flew towards Alpha Brenkelvi II, he tried to think about what he’d decorate it with; the blue pilot was a reminder of what had happened between Nilsen and himself the day prior and he wanted to keep his mind off it.
Herrick: oO Perhaps I’ll hang an image of that nebula – a reminder of how he’d survived the first mission; the York in the middle of all the chaos. Oo
Thankfully, this shuttle trip had been rather uneventful, which seemed rare in Starfleet. As they made their approach, out the bow he could see forests, mountains, and lakes. It reminded him a lot of Paradiso; save for the tree line being a pleasant mixture of deep greens, purples, and blues.
The Nichols landed, almost undetectable to Josh. He clapped, a bit too enthusiastically, and he looked at the rest of the team.
Herrick: We made it... in one piece. ::looking at Arlill:: you’re hired!
Post landing, Etan was the first one out of the shuttle after activating the ramp and stepping onto the planet; the cool wind whistling through the open door.
Etan: This is quite something. :: he said appreciatively. ::
Toxin was the next to head out; while Josh and Maxwell had started to gather their own gear. He realized this was his first mission with all three of them and wanted to gather as much equipment as possible, he wouldn’t be the reason someone said ‘you forgot that?’
Maxwell: Response
Arlill: Indeed sir, I haven’t seen anything like it since the redwoods outside of San Francisco.
Josh stepped out of the shuttle, carrying three packs, one filled with three-variations of tricorders (standard, medical and engineering), emergency medpack, and the last was a swiss-army sack of engineering tools. Should this low-level intermittent energy field be artificial in nature; he’d be ready. As he made his way down the ramp, he was greeted by a breath-taking pink sky.
Herrick: oO Next time, holo-camera! Oo
Toxin had already started his scans, and Herrick quickly followed suit. They hadn’t looked any different from the initial mission report they had gotten.
Maxwell: Response
Etan: I want everyone to equip VRDs for the duration of our time here. :: beat :: You not might not spot something in the moment, but with these, we can always go back and analyse footage.
Toxin returned to the shuttle and quickly returned with the requested equipment; four ‘stylish’ VISOR devices.
Arlill: Commander ::handing one to Etan:: Chief ::then to Herrick:: and here you go Sir ::finally to Maxwell ::
One by one, they each donned the device. While they looked a bit ridiculous to Josh before putting it on, as he looked at the rest of the away team; it looked like they meant business. Arlill double checked his tricorder.
Arlill: They’re online sir.
Maxwell: Response.
Etan: Before we begin, let’s stop to consider for the moment. Has anyone here encountered a phenomena like this before?
Arlill: Well there are the orbs of Bajor, they emit a very weak energy signature, but that’s almost undetectable.
Herrick: ::shaking his head:: Today’s my first, sir.
Maxwell: Response.
Etan: We should be vigilant. This planet may be devoid of life, but there are still a thousand and one ways for nature to inflict harm. :: he let the warning sink in, before continuing. :: Lieutenants Arlill and Herrick: what equipment have you brought to assist us with this assignment?
Herrick: Given that we’re not sure whether the source of the energy field is biological or technological, I’ve brought contingencies to work through either situation ::holding up the packs:: It was standard issue, plus a bit more, and didn’t compare to what their new chief of ops had brought along.
Arlill: I brought along a Mass Optical Orthogonal Monitoring and Oscillating Object system, it’s something my academy roommate, science division, sent me schematics of it from the academy science division, I thought it might come in handy.
Etan: Response.
Arlill: The Mass Optical Orth… sorry ::pausing to work out the acronym:: The MOO ::sign:: MOOMOO works by analyzing the entire vision and non visual spectrum bending the light through prisms to split the different light waves and identify energy that may only appear outside of visual reception but not generate enough energy to always pick up. (beat) Ok, I have to admit, I may have memorized the materials that came with it, but I do know how to operate it.
Josh couldn’t help but smirk; ‘moo-moo’ had been coined on his last away mission by an Esh-o child and it would seem to be a long-lasting legacy of their first contact with the people.
Etan: Very good. Please proceed. ::he turned to the Marine.:: Mr. Maxwell, I’d like you to put together a search grid where we can get plenty of readings of this strange energy field.
Maxwell: Response
Toxin went back into the shuttle for the MOOMOO and climbed the utility access ladder built into the shuttle's hull, and began wiring it into the power system.
Arlill: Sir, the MOOMOO is online. ::he shook his head slightly::
Etan: Response.
Arlill: It will take about a hour for it to analyze the complete spectrum, I’m hopeful it gives us a bearing of where to look before then, but it is new tech.
Josh turned his tricorder in the direction of the MOOMOO; it was consuming quite a bit of power from the shuttle but at an hour, it didn’t seem to pose any risk to depleting the reserves.
Herrick: Impressive nonetheless; you got the inside track.
Etan: Response.
Arlill: Yes sir.
Toxin brought unit online. A pillar rose from it’s center up about 1.5 meters and extended mirrors in multiple directions angling them to collect the full range of light both within and beyond human perception.
Maxwell/Etan: Response.
The wind had started to pick up slightly, putting a steely edge on the pituresque landscape and focusing Josh back on the mission at hand. It was hard to distinguish from all the rustling trees around them, but he thought he had heard something. He whipped around in the direction of the sound, the mountain range, and increased the scanning sensitivity.
Herrick: oO Ghosts? Oo ::brow furrowed:: he switched to other scanning types, but nothing appeared::
Maxwell/Etan/Arlill: Response
Herrick: I... um... thought I heard something; but it looks like it wasn’t anything material. Nothing is showing up on the scans.
Maxwell/Etan/Arlill: Response
Herrick: Aye sir, will do.
He fished out the medical tricorder from one of the slung packs and recompleted his scans.
Herrick: Well... that’s a bit weird...
Maxwell/Etan/Arlill: Response
Herrick: ::rubbing the back of his head:: I mean... the readings of the energy field between the medical and engineering tricorders seem slightly different. ::holding out both tricorders out for the team to see::
The displays on each of the tricorders showed the energy field, both looked identical for a moment but then the readings on the engineering one flickered while the medical tricorder remained steady.
Maxwell/Etan/Arlill: Response
TBC / Tags!
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Lieutenant JG Josh Herrick
Acting Chief Engineer
USS ‘Oumuamua
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)